EX  UJRBR.IS 


ALEXANDER  GOLDSTEIN 


Mr.   Lincoln's   First    Public  Address. 

See  page  84. 


THE  FOREST  BOY: 


A  SKETCH  OF  THE 


LIFE   OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN, 


. 


BY  Z.  A.  MUDGE, 


AUTHOR  OF  "  LADY  HUNTINGDON  PORTRAYED,"  "  THE  CHRISTIAN  STATESMAN, 
ETC.,  ETC. 


FOUR      ILLUSTRATION 


NEW  YORK : 
PUBLISHED  BY  CARLTON  &  PORTER, 

SUNDAY-SCHOOL   UNION,    -JO  1)   MULBK1JKY-STREKT. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1867, 
BY   CARLTON  &   PORTER, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for 
the  Southern  District  of  New- York. 


PBEFACE. 


WE  have  attempted  in  this  volume  a  sketch 
of  the  life  of  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN,  adapted  to 
young  persons.  None,  so  far  as  we  know,  of 
the  biographies  written  since  his  death  have 
had  this  special  object  in  view. 

We  have  given  the  facts  in  such  detail  that 
his  general  history  may  be  understood,  and 
have  aimed  so  to  group  them  together  that  his 
true  picture  may  be  seen  from  several  points  of 
observation.  To  do  this  we  have  made  the 
chapters  somewhat  topical,  but  not  to  an  extent 
to  interrupt  essentially  the  chronological  order. 

We  have  studied  to  bring  out,  for  an  example 
and  inspiration  to  the  young,  that  moral  integ 
rity  and  true  goodness  which  were  so  promi 
nent  in  Mr.  Lincoln's  character.  We  hope, 
therefore,  that  our  book  will  be  found  worthy 

•  773148 


6  PKEFACE. 

to   be    invited   into   the    Sabbath-schools   and 
Christian  families  of  our  country. 

Much  of  the  material  here  presented  was 
found  afloat  in  a  fragmentary  form,  but  derived, 
we  are  assured,  from  authentic  sources. 

"We  are  indebted  to  the  biography  of  Mr. 
Lincoln,  by  the  Hon.  J.  H.  BAKRETT,  for  many 
facts  of  his  early  life ;  and  to  letters  published 
in  "The  Independent,"  by  Mr.  CARPENTER, 
the  artist,  for  sprightly  illustrations  of  his  later 
years. 

We  also  acknowledge  our  indebtedness  for 
many  facts  to  the  unrivaled  Life  of  Lincoln  by 
DR.  HOLLAND. 

Credit  due  to  other  sources  is  given  in  the 
course  of  the  narrative. 

We  commend  our  unpretending  volume  to 
the  attention  of  the  young,  from  a  deep  convic 
tion  that  the  more  they  study  the  history  of  our 
late  President,  the  more  his  character  will 
interest  and  profit  them.  Z.  A.  M. 

QUINCY,  Mass.,  September,  1866. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  L 

THE     PIONEERS. 

The  Valley  of  the  Shenandoah  —  The  Grandfather  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  —  The  Journey  to  Kentucky — Indian  Hostility  —  Dan 
iel  Boone's  Fight  —  Abraham's  Grandfather  shot  by  the  Indians 
—  His  Widow  and  the  little  Thomas  Lincoln Page  15 

CHAPTER  II. 

LITTLE     ABRAHAM. 

Nolin  Creek  —  The  Log-cabin  and  New  Home — Abraham's 
Mother  —  His  Father  —  His  Brother  and  Sister  —  Another  Log- 
cabin  Home  —  The  Play-ground  —  The  Father's  Stories  — The 
Mother's  Instructions  —  Abraham's  Wise  Opinions 22 

CHAPTER  III. 

A      NEW      HOME. 

Fondness  for  Moving  — Hatred  of  Slavery  — The  Old  Home 
sold  —  Singular  Pay — Hunting  after  a  new  Location  — Bad  Luck 
on  the  Eiyer  —  A  Place  found  —  A  touching  Incident  on  leaving 
the  Old  Home— The  Journey — The  New  Cabin :  its  Rooms  and 
Furniture  —  The  Mill  —  Planting  and  Hunting 29 

CHAPTER  IV. 

SCHOOLS     AND     BOOKS. 

Abraham's  first  Teacher  —  Six  Months  in  School  —  Reading 
the  Bible  in  the  Family  —  Learning  to  "Cypher"  —  How  Abra 
ham  made  rapid  Improvement  —  First  School  Books  —  "Esop's 
Fables"— Abraham's  Lucky  Shot  at  a  Turkey  — Other  Good 


8  CONTENTS. 

Books— Bunyan's  "  Pilgrim's  Progress"—  Weems's  "Life  of 
Washington  "  —  "  Life  of  Henry  Clay  "  — Abraham's  Dress  at 
this  Time Page  36 

CHAPTER  V. 

THE     GREAT     BEREAVEMENT. 

The  Death  of  Abraham's  Mother  —  Her  Comfort  in  Sickness, 
and  her  humble  Burial  —  The  Itinerant  Preachers — Elder  El- 
kins—Abraham's  first  Letter  — The  Arrival  of  Elkins  — The 
Great  Gathering  —  The  Funeral  Sermon  —  Abraham's  Love  for 
Sarah  — Their  new  Mother—  Sarah's  Death 43 

CHAPTER   VI. 

EARLY     MANLINESS. 

Abraham's  Ambition  —  Letter  "Writing  —  "Kamsay's  Life  of 
Washington  "  —  The  Accident  —  Manly  Conduct  of  Abraham  — 
Saving  the  Life  of  a  Drunkard  —  First  Voyage  down  the  Missis 
sippi —  The  First  Dollar  —  Accident  at  the  Mill  —  Abraham  a 
Ferryman  —  Second  Trip  down  the  Mississippi  —  Midnight  At 
tack  by  Negroes — Good  Habits. 52 

CHAPTER  VII. 
BEGINNING     ANEW. 

A  new  Home  desired  —  Removal  to  Illinois  —  The  Journey  — 
Abraham's  Energy  —  Abraham  helps  build  a  Log-cabin  —  Its 
Historical  Character — Rail-splitting  and  Plowing — Abraham  and 
the  Traveler — Abraham's  Father  moves  again  —  His  Death. .  65 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
ENERGY     AND     HONESTY. 

Abraham's  Dress  and  Rough  Appearance  —  Social  Qualities 
— Willingness  to  Work  —  The  way  he  obtained  new  Pants  — 
Another  Voyage  to  New  Orleans  —  Abraham  in  a  Store  —  Anec 
dotes  of  his  Honesty  —  Gets  the  name  of  "Honest  Abe"  —  A 
Boaster  humbled— "The  Clary's  Grove  Boys "  — Abraham 
conquers  their  Champion 71 


CONTENTS.  9 

CHAPTER   IX. 

A     STEP     HIGHER. 

Abraham's  desire  to  learn  —  "  Conquers  "  a  Grammar  —  Ambi 
tion — Debating  Clubs  and  "Practicing  Polemics" — Abraham's 
first  Public  Speech:  its  great  Success  —  Anecdote  —  Study 
ing  and  rocking  the  Cradle  —  Confidence  in  his  sound  Judg 
ment v Page  80 

CHAPTER  X. 

EARLY    PUBLIC     HONORS. 

Black  Hawk  War— Mr.  Lincoln  enlists  —  Anecdote  of  his 
Election  as  Captain — Long  Marches  —  The  Volunteers  return 
Home  —  Captain  Lincoln  re-enlists  twice  —  Black  Hawk's  Defeat 

—  Captain  Lincoln's  Popularity  with  his  Men  —  His  Journey 
Home  —  His  humorous  allusion  to  his  War  Experience  —  At 
tempts  Trading,  and  fails  — His  "National  Debt"— Becomes 
Postmaster  —  Anecdote  —  Honest  Settlement  of  his  Accounts  — 
Surveyor 87 

CHAPTER  XI. 

WINNING     HIS     WAT. 

Compliments  —  Lincoln  and  the  College  Boys  —  Getting  out 
of  Difficulty  —  His  first  Political  Canvass  —  Elected  to  the  State 
Legislature  —  Begins  to  study  Law — Walks  to  the  State  Capital 

—  First  Experience  as  Legislator — Walks  Home  —  His  second 
Canvass  —  Public  Debate  —  Anecdote  —  His  Antislavery  Record 
— "  The  Long  Nine  "—Lincoln's  Position 96 

CHAPTER  XII. 

"RIDING     THE     CIRCUIT." 

Lincoln  a  Lawyer  —  Removes  to  Springfield  —  Again  in  the 
Legislature  —  The  Leader  of  his  Party  —  Anecdote  —  Putting 
down  a  troublesome  Member — Becomes  the  Advocate  of  the 
Poor  and  Oppressed  —  Anecdotes  —  His  Conscientiousness  as  P. 
Lawyer  — Popularity  on  "The  Circuit"  — The  two  Colts  — An 
ingenious  Statement 106 


10  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE   RESCUE. 

Young  Armstrong :  accused  of  Murder  —  Public  Excitement — 
Critical  Condition  of  the  Accused  —  Mr.  Lincoln  offers  his 
Services  —  The  Trial  —  The  Prisoner  and  his  poor  Mother — Mr. 
Lincoln's  Defense  and  Appeal —  The  Decision  —  Touching  Scene 
after  the  Acquittal Page  114 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

FURTHER     INCIDENTS     OF     "THE     CIRCUIT." 

A  Pig  in  Distress  —  "  Only  a  Pig  "  — Demands  of  Conscience 

—  The    Pig    rescued  —  Philosophizing  —  Eemembers  the   Poor 
among  his  Acquaintance  —  Pity  for  an  unfortunate  Client  —  The 
Case  of  the  poor  Widow  —  The  Colored  Boy  saved  from  Slavery 
— Takes  unpopular  Cases 122 

CHAPTER  XY. 

AT     HIS    OWN     HOME. 

Marriage  of  Mr.  Lincoln — Interesting  Letters  —  His  Children 

—  Affection  for  his  Children  —  Anecdotes  —  Absent-mindedness 

—  Mr.  Lincoln  "surprised"  —  Studies  Geometry  —  An  Inven 
tion  —  A  Lecture  on  Inventions  —  Knowledge  of  the  Bible  —  Mr. 
Lincoln's  Law  Partner's  Pen-picture  of  him 130 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

IN      CONGRESS. 

Generous  Conduct  —  Friendship  for  Henry  Clay  —  Moral 
Courage  —  Anecdotes  —  Elected  to  Congress  —  Speeches  — Anec 
dote  of  his  Independence  —  Antislavery  Record  —  Short  Tour 
in  New  England  —  Returns  to  Illinois  and  canvasses  for  General 
Taylor— Applies  for  Office,  and  laughs  at  his  Failure 143 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

A     GREAT     CONTEST     COMMENCED. 

Mr.  Lincoln's  temperate  Habits  not  spoiled  at  Washington  — 
An  Illustration  —  A  Pro-slavery  Law  —  Mr.  Lincoln's  Opposi 
tion  to  it  —  Lincoln  and  Douglas  —  Their  first  Public  Debate  — 


CONTENTS.  11 

Mr.  Lincoln  joins  the  Eepublican  Party — Great  Speech,  in  its 
behalf — Becomes  its  "Western  Leader  —  Intimations  of  Political 
Advancement Page  151 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

A     TRIUMPH     ACHIEVED. 

"Popular  Sovereignty" — Mr.  Lincoln's  intense  Eesentment 
of  its  Claims  —  Kepublican  Candidate  for  the  United  States 
Senate  —  Great  Debate  with  Judge  Douglas  begun  —  The  Oppo 
nents' kind  Words  for  each  other  —  Douglas  flinches  from  the 
Debate  —  Accepts  a  qualified  Challenge  —  The  Contest  —  Pen- 
portraits  of  the  Debaters  by  Newspaper  Eeporters  —  The  Ee- 
sults 160 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE     WHITE     HOUSE     IN     PROSPECT. 

Slavery  — The  Eising  against  it  of  the  Public  Voice  — Mr. 
Lincoln  named  as  a  Presidential  Candidate  —  Political  Nick 
names —  "The  Eail-splitter  " — Visits  Kansas  —  Going  East  — 
At  New  York  —  Crude  Appearance  —  Speech  in  Cooper  Institute 

—  Its  wonderful  Success  —  Glances  at  New  York  —  Anecdote — 

—  Speeches   in   Connecticut — Visits   Harvard   College  —  Anec 
dotes 172 

CHAPTER  XX. 

THE     VOICE     OF     THE     PEOPLE. 

Nominations  for  President  —  The  Chicago  Convention  —  Mr. 
Lincoln  nominated,  and  "no  Bargains" — His  Eeception  of  the 
News  — Visit  of  the  Committee  from  the  Convention  —  Eush  of 
Visitors  —  Anecdotes  —  The  rustic  young  Men  —  The  honest  old 
Lady. 184 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE     WHITE    HOUSE    ENTERED. 

Mr.  Lincoln  elected  President  —  His  conflicting  Feelings  — The 
Joy  of  the  loyal  People,  and  Eesentment  of  the  Slaveholders  — 
His  Religious  Feelings  — Visits  Chicago  — Anecdotes  — The  little 


12  CONTENTS. 

Patriot — The  little  Girls  —  Leaves  Springfield  for  "Washington  — 
Journey—  Plots  against  his  Life  — Escape,  and  Arrival  at  Wash 
ington—Inaugural  -Oath— "White  House Page  199 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE     NATION'S     "GREAT    TROUBLE." 

The  Great  Eebellion  commenced  —  The  Forts  seized — Mr. 
Lincoln's  Perplexities  —  He  refuses  to  begin  the  War — Fort 
Sumter  taken — The  loyal  People  aroused — Judge  Douglas  comes 
to  Mr.  Lincoln's  Aid — Hon.  George  Bancroft  on  the  Uprising  of 
the  People 211 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

LOG-CABIN    SIMPLICITY    AT    THE    WHITE     HOUSE. 

Mr.  John  Hank's  first  Visit  at  the  White  House  —  Professor 
Goldwin  Smith  and  Mr.  Lincoln  —  Mr.  Carpenter's  first  Inter 
view —  Mr.  Lincoln  at  the  Iron  Fence  —  Fred.  Douglass  at  the 
White  House  —  A  black  Embassador  as  good  as  a  "ginger-col 
ored  one" — Negro  Visitors  —  The  little  Girls  —  "It's  so  cold" 
— The  Irish  Boy  —  Insults  resented  —  An  old  Friend 223 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

TENDERNESS  AND  SYMPATHY. 

The  President's  keen  Sympathies  —  The  condemned  Soldier 
Boy  reprieved  —  The  dying  Soldier's  Blessing  —  The  poor  Wash 
er-woman's  Son  —  The  Mother  and  her  Child  —  A  Husband  par 
doned—The  President  counting  Greenbacks  —  The  Widow's 
three  Sons  —  "  Now  I  have  one  and  you  one  "  —  The  Children's 
Petition  —  Stanton  and  Lincoln  —  The  little  Kitten  —  The  Pres 
ident  in  the  Hospitals 242 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

PLEASANT      HUMORS. 

Mr.  Lincoln's  "Jokes"  —  Their  Purpose  —  A  Eelief  to  an 
overburdened  Heart  —  Sadness  and  Pleasantry  —  A  touching 
Incident  —  "  No  Time  for  Stories  "  —  The  Emancipation  Procla 
mation—With  what  Feelings  sent  forth  — The  Nasby  Papers 
—  The  Peace  Commissioners  — "  Root,  Hog,  or  die"  — "Let 


CONTENTS.  13 

'era  wriggle" — "Who  ranks?"— The  Young  German  Lieu 
tenant  —  An  important  Testimony  —  Mr.  Lincoln's  Stories  never 
coarse Page  256 

CHAPTER  XXYI. 

CONFIDENCE    IN     GOD. 

Early  religious  Tendencies  —  Mr.  Lincoln's  Conversion  —  "I 
do  love  Jesus"  —  A  serious  Mistake  —  The  important  Question : 
"  Are  we  on  God's  Side?"— The  President's  Love  for  the  Bible 

—  Giving  Freedom  to  the  Slaves  —  His  Anxiety  concerning  the 
Measure  —  "Promised  God  I   would    do    it" — "Prayer    and 
Praise "  —  " Give   God  the    Glory " —  "Duty "—An   unusual 
Scene  in  the  East  Eoom 269 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE    WHITE    HOUSE     HOME. 

The  White  House  not  barred  —  Early  Rising  —  How  Mr.  Lin 
coln's  early  Hours  were  spent  —  In  the  Family  Circle  —  Little 
"Tad"  — "I'll  keep  my  part  of  the  Bargain "  — Tad's  White 
House  Guard — Willie  —  His  Death  —  Mr.  Lincoln's  Mourning, 
and  how  he  was  comforted 280 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE     RAINBOW     OF     PEACE. 

Mr.  Lincoln  re-elected  President  —  The  Soldiers  for  him  — 
Made  "  von  Veteran  "  —  His  Modesty  —  The  Inaugural  Address 

—  A  remarkable  Passage  —  The  great  Success  of  the  Army  and 
Navy — The  Heroes:  Banks,  Butler,  Farragut,  Thomas,  Sherman, 
and  Grant  — The  President  at  City  Point  — The  little  Kitten  — 
The  Fall  of  Richmond  — Mr.  Lincoln  enters  the  City  — The  Joy 
of  the  Negroes — Last  Interview  with  Secretary  Seward  —  "  Now 
for  a  Day  of  Thanksgiving  " 290 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THE  DARK  CLOUD  OF  SORROW. 

Congratulations  —  The  good  Spirits  and  Gratitude  of  the 
President  —  His  generous  Feelings  toward  the  South  — Mrs. 
Lincoln's  Account  of  her  Plusband's  last  Days  —  His  Attendance 


14  CONTENTS. 

upon  the  Theater  —  The  Engagement  to  attend  Ford's  Theater 
—  Keluctance  to  go  when  the  Hour  arrived  —  The  Escape  of 
General  Grant — Arrival  of  the  President  and  Party  at  the  Thea 
ter  —  The  Assassin  —  The  fatal  Deed  —  The  Murderer's  Death  — 
The  Attack  upon  Mr.  Seward  —  How  he  learned  that  the  Presi 
dent  was  dead  —  The  great  Mourning Page  300 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE    BURIAL — BENEDICTIONS  —  FAREWELL. 

The  Eemains  of  Mr.  Lincoln  at  Baltimore  —  Harrisburgh  — 
Philadelphia — The  City  moved  at  its  Coming  —  At  New  York 
City — Its  Business  suspended — Immense  Procession,  and  Fifteen 
Thousand  Soldiers  —  From  Albany  to  Buffalo  —  The  Honors  at 
the  West  — The  Eesting-place  at  Oak  Eidge  Cemetery  — The 
Mourning  of  the  Freedmen — "  Massa  Sam's  Dead" — The  News 
of  the  Assassination  at  Montreal,  London,  Paris,  and  through 
out  Europe  —  The  Universal  Grief — The  Lesson  taught  — 
Farewell/...  ..  311 


MB.  LINCOLN'S  FIRST  PUBLIC  ADDRESS 2 

YOUNG  LINCOLN  AT  HIS  MOTHER'S  GRAVE 48 

DRAGGING  THE  WAGON 135 

VIEWING  CARPENTER  AT  WORK  ON  THE  PICTURE  .  . .  230 


THE 


FOEEST    BOY. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE     PIONEEKS. 

THE  beautiful  valley  of  the  Shenandoah,  in 
Virginia,  has  recently  been  desolated  by  war. 
Here  Sheridan  gave  Early  the  terrible  blows 
which  sent  his  army,  broken  and  dismayed,  back 
to  their  comrades  behind  their  intrenchments 
of  Richmond. 

Almost  one  hundred  years  before  this  time, 
in  1780,  there  was  living  in  this  valley  a  family 
whose  history  the  loyal  people  of  the  United 
States  will  always  delight  to  study.  It  con 
sisted  of  father,  mother,  three  sons,  and  two 
daughters.  The  valley  at  this  period  was  but 
thinly  inhabited,  there  being  only  a  few  towns, 


16  THE   FOREST   BOY. 

and  those  far  apart;  while  the  Indian  still 
pitched  his  wigwam  on  its  sunny  slopes,  and 
the  wild  beasts  roamed  the  forests.  Yet  this 
family  caught  the  spirit  of  emigration.  Daniel 
Boone,  the  famous  hunter  of  those  times,  had 
taken  a  journey  from  his  home  in  South  Caro 
lina  to  "  The  country  of  Kentucky,"  and  re 
turned  with  glowing  accounts  of  its  fertility 
and  beauty.  "  The  Western  excitement " 
spread  along  the  sea-shore  to  Yirginia,  and 
hundreds  of  families  followed  Boone  in  his  new 
enterprise.  The  long  journey,  the  great  pri 
vations  which  it  required,  and  even  the  dan 
gers  of  the  wilderness  into  which  they  went, 
afforded  an  excitement  which  they  loved. 

Such  were  the  feelings  of  the  family  of  whom 
we  have  just  spoken.  Its  head  was  Abraham 
Lincoln,  grandfather  of  the  President.  His 
youngest  child,  at  this  time  about  two  years 
old,  was  Thomas,  who  became  the  father  of 
Abraham,  the  DELIVERER  of  his  country. 

When  this  pioneer  family  broke  tip  their 
home  in  the  Shenandoah,  and  turned  away 


THE  FOEEST  BOY.  IT 

from  the  familiar  scenes  of  their  youth  and  the 
graves  of  their  fathers,  they  did  not,  it  must  be 
remembered,  step  into  the  cars  to  be  whirled, 
in  a  few  hours,  to  their  chosen  encampment. 
A  part  of  their  journey  lay  through  an  almost 
unbroken  wilderness,  where  the  feet  of  white 
men  had  seldom  ventured,  and  where  the  sav 
age  Indian  still  roamed.  One  rudely  con 
structed  wagon,  or  the  backs  of  a  few  horses, 
sufficed  to  carry  the  emigrants  and  their  scanty 
supply  of  goods.  The  trusty  rifle,  and  perhaps 
the  berries  by  the  wayside,  supplied  the  crav 
ings  of  hunger ;  the  pure  stream  gave  them 
drink,  and  the  branches  of  the  trees  afforded 
them  shelter  at  mid-day  and  at  night. 

Mr.  Lincoln  did  not  end  his  weary  journey 
until  he  had  passed  nearly  through  Kentucky 
to  the  valley  of  the  Ohio  River.  He  selected  a 
spot  upon  which  nature  had  bestowed  her  rich 
est  gifts :  the  land  was  fertile,  the  game  abund 
ant,  the  scenery  beautiful,  and  everything 
seemed  to  say,  God  is  here !  Already  the  set 
tlers  from  Virginia  and  the  Carolinas  began  to 


18  THE  FOKEST  BOY. 

meet  those  who  came  down  the  Ohio  from  the 
North  and  East. 

These  lands  were  the  hunting-grounds  of  the 
Indians;  their  fathers  had  followed  the  deer 
through  these  forests,  and  paddled  their  canoes 
upon  these  rivers,  and  the  traces  of  their  wig 
wams  and  their  graves,  for  many  generations, 
were  here.  It  is  not  strange,  therefore,  that 
they  claimed  them,  and  looked  with  no  friendly 
eyes  upon  the  pale-faced  strangers.  They  in 
formed  Daniel  Boone  in  a  very  savage  way  that 
they  did  not  bid  him  welcome :  they  made  war 
upon  all  his  company. 

Just  after  Mr.  Lincoln  had  erected  his  cabin, 
a  large  number  of  Indian  warriors  encamped 
not  far  from  him.  Daniel  Boone  assembled  all 
the  men  of  the  scattered  settlements  of  the 
country  and  gave  them  battle.  Boone  was 
defeated,  many  of  his  men  killed,  and  his  own 
son  left  wounded  and  dying  in  his  arms.  In 
spired  by  a  father's  love,  he  plunged  into  the 
river  near  which  the  battle  was  fought,  and 
swam  with  him  to  the  opposite  side,  the  Indians 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  19 

following  close  behind.  When  he  reached  the 
shore  his  boy  was  dead,  and  the  father  was 
obliged  to  leave  his  body  in  the  hands  of  the 
savages  to  save  his  own  life. 

But  the  red  man  did  not  long  appear  in  open 
fight.  The  whites  increased  in  number,  and 
were  too  skillful  in  their  mode  of  warfare  for 
the  poor  ignorant  savages,  who  learned  that 
their  safer  way  was  to  hide  in  the  bushes,  or 
skulk  behind  trees,  and  pounce  upon  their  foe 
as  the  tiger  springs  upon  its  unsuspecting  prey. 
They  came  upon  the  settlers  when  they  were 
not  watching,  killed  the  men,  and  often  carried 
off  the  helpless  women  and  children,  after  hav 
ing  burned  their  cabins. 

About  four  years  from  the  time  Mr.  Lincoln 
came  to  Kentucky,  he  was  one  day  a  short  dis 
tance  from  his  home  chopping  down  trees. 
While  he  was  thus  busy,  thinking,  perhaps,  of 
his  children,  and  how  he  might  better  provide 
for  their  comfort,  he  did  not  know  that  the 
eyes  of  bloody  savages,  peering  out  from  their 

hiding-places,  were  watching  him.     In  a  fatal 
2 


20  THE    FOREST    BOY. 

moment  lie  set  his  loaded  gun,  which  the  pio 
neers  ever  kept  near  them,  against  a  tree,  and, 
stepping  a  few  rods  away,  lifted  his  ax  to  fell 
a  tree.  At  the  instant  the  deadly  arrow  pierced 
his  body,  and  he  dropped  dead.  His  corpse 
was  found  at  the  foot  of  the  tree,  the  ax  lying 
beside  it,  and  his  gun  where  it  was  left. 

It  was  a  sad  and  gloomy  day  in  the  cabin  of 
these  pioneers  when  they  laid  the  head  of  the 
family  away  in  the  grave,  and  thought  that  the 
same  bloody  men  who  had  killed  him  were 
watching  for  their  lives.  But,  though  sorrow 
ful,  they  were  strong  and  brave ;  their  women 
had  the  courage  of  men,  and  the  children  the 
stout  hearts  of  older  persons. 

Soon  after  this  Mrs.  Lincoln  took  the  chil 
dren  and  went  a  little  further  east  from  the 
Ohio,  seeking,  perhaps,  the  neighborhood  of 
friends,  or  thinking  that  the  savages  would  not 
attack  her  away  from  their  favorite  hunting 
grounds. 

Little  Thomas  was  now  only  six  years  old. 
The  rough  journey,  the  rude  new  home,  and 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  21 

the  heavy  bereavement,  were  a  severe  school 
for  his  tender  age;  and  when  only  six  more 
years  had  passed  away  he  was  obliged  to  leave 
his  mother's  cabin,  and  seek  his  living  by  labor 
among  strangers.  He  grew  up  an  ignorant, 
but  not  an  idle  and  wicked  man.  He  never 
learned  to  read,  and  he  wrote  only  his  own 
name,  and  that  he  had  been  taught  to  copy 
from  the  writing  of  another  person,  as  boys 
copy  pictures  or  trace  maps ;  he  did  not  even 
know  the  letters  of  which  it  was  composed. 
But  Thomas  Lincoln  had  a  strong  hand  and  an 
honest  heart.  People  loved  the  boy,"  and  he 
found  friends  and  work. 


22  THE  FOREST  BOY. 


CHAPTEE  II. 

LITTLE     ABRAHAM. 

THOMAS  LINCOLN  was  twenty-eight  years  old 
when  he  married  Nancy  Hanks.  This  was  in 
1806.  He  had  erected  a  log-cabin  to  receive 
his  bride.  It  was  such  a  house  as  his  own 
hands  could  build  in  a  few  days  with  the  aid  of 
an  ax  only.  It  was  situated  by  a  little  stream 
called  Nolin  Creek,  in  what  is  now  Larue 
County,  Kentucky.  Heavy  timber  covered 
about  two  thirds  of  the  land  around  them. 
This  was  the  fertile  land  which  the  emigrants 
cleared  for  cultivation,  the  rest  being  open  and 
barren,  and  either  quite  level,  or  swelling  into 
mounds  and  hills.  From  the  top  of  one  of  these 
hills,  now  called  the  "Blue  Ball,"  the  stream 
running  by  Mr.  Lincoln's  cabin  door  could  be 
followed  by  the  eye,  in  a  fair  day,  as  it  curved 
around  the  hills  and  shot  across  the  plains, 


THE  FOKEST  BOY.  23 

growing  wider  and  deeper,  until  it  emptied  into 
the  Ohio  River,  twenty  miles  distant.  In  the 
breezes,  and  from  the  trees,  came  a  spirit  of 
freedom  and  peace  to  the  happy  couple.  The 
grandeur  and  beauty  of  nature  about  them 
spoke  of  God  in  a  voice  both  clear  and  elevat 
ing.  Only  man  was  vile,  for  as  the  savages 
disappeared  the  white  men  came  with  their 
slaves.  But  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln, 
though  poor,  did  not  wish  to  become  rich  by 
the  unrewarded  toil  of  others. 

Mrs.  Lincoln  had  come,  in  childhood,  with 
the  emigrants  from  Virginia.  She  was  from 

O  O 

her  youth  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  but 
her  husband  did  not  become  a  member  until 
after  their  marriage,  and  was  won  to  Christ,  it 
may  be,  by  her  pious  example. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  a  man  of  average  height, 
broad-chested,  and  well  built.  He  was  able 
and  willing  to  work,  but  ready  to  spend. 
Good-natured  himself,  he  did  not  suspect  others 
of  ill  will,  even  when  he  had  good  grounds  of 
distrust.  Tie  took  the  world  too  easy  to 


24  THE  FOEEST  BOY. 

thrive,  and  was  quite  content  to  be  what  he 
was,  a  man  of  honest  poverty. 

Mrs.  Lincoln  was  one  of  those  remarkable 
women  whom  generations  to  come  will  delight 
to  honor.  She  was  of  moderate  height,  slightly 
made,  and  of  a  sad,  pale  countenance.  She 
was  gentle  and  amiable,  seeking  the  friendship 
and  love  of  others.  To  her  other  gifts  was 
added  a  mind  of  the  first  order.  We  shall  see 
with  what  reason  her  son,  long  after  her  depart 
ure  to  be  with  Christ,  called  her  his  "  angel 
mother."  She  was  too  frail  a  flower  for  expo 
sure  to  the  rude  winds  of  pioneer  life ;  a  gem  of 
great  purity  amid  rough  surroundings,  where, 
indeed,  such  gems  are  often  found.  She  could 
read,  and  she  well  improved  the  few  books  with 
which  she  was  favored. 

Thomas  and  E"ancy  had  three  children : 
Sarah,  the  first-born,  Abraham,  and  Thomas. 
The  latter  died  in  infancy.  Abraham  was  born, 
in  the  little  log-cabin  of  which  we  have  spoken, 
on  the  12th  of  February,  1809.  Such  was  the 
birthplace  and  such  the  parents  of  Abraham 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  25 

Lincoln,  whose  name  is  now  known  throughout 
the  world.  Abraham  was  about  two  years  old 
when  his  father  moved  from  the  log-cabin  on 
Nolin  Creek  to  one  a  little  further  east,  three 
miles  from  what  is  now  Hodgenville.  It  was  not 
much  expense  or  trouble  to  build  a  cabin,  and  so 
his  father  seems  to  have  moved  for  apparently 
slight  reasons,  not  having  occasion  to  account 
the  removal  of  the  furniture  a  great  item. 

In  this  new  home  Abraham  lived  until  he 
was  seven  years  of  age.  It  still  stands,  and 
has  been  frequently  seen  in  the  pictures  as  it 
now  appears.  This  Lincoln  cabin  is  plainly 
much  decayed ;  but  if  we  imagine  the  front  to 
be  tight,  the  fence  perhaps  away  entirely,  we 
shall  see  the  humble  home  of  Abraham  Lincoln 
nearly  the  same  as  when  he  lived  in  it. 

We  cannot  think  that  Abraham  and  his  sister 
Sarah  were  able  to  carry  on  their  childhood's 
sports  within  doors ;  but  their  playground  was 
ample.  The  tall  trees  of  the  surrounding  for 
ests  which  overshadowed  the  soil  prevented  the 
growth  of  underbrush  or  tangled  vines.  Na- 


26  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

ture's  carpet  of  green  and  brown  was  spread  for 
their  feet.  There  were  no  neighbors  with  sensi 
tive  ears  to  chide  their  hearty  shout  or  merry 
laugh.  Abraham  conld  dam  the  little  streams., 
and  form  mimic  waterfalls ;  while  Sarah  on  the 
hillside  was  making  evergreen  wreaths  for  her 
own  hat,  or  leafy  crowns  for  her  brother's 
brow.  If  they  chose  the  more  invigorating 
amusement  of  "hide  and  seek,"  what  grand 
hiding-places  were  the  tree  trunks,  and  what  a 
run  they  might  have  without  danger  of  bolting 
against  a  table  or  pitching  over  a  chair  ! 

Though  the  children  could  not  play  in-doors, 
they  could,  and  did,  when  not  able  or  not  in 
clined  to  go  out,  do  something  better.  At  this 
time  they  were  not  old  enough  to  help  their 
mother  in  the  household  labor.  It  is  said  that 
there  were  two  ways  in  which  their  parents 
delighted  to  interest  and  instruct  them  at  the 
fireside.  The  first  and  most  important  was  the 
reading  by  the  mother,  who  had  a  pleasant  way 
of  making  remarks,  and  of  exciting  talk  con 
cerning  that  which  was  read.  The  father  told 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  27 

them  stories  of  the  early  settlers  of  Virginia 
and  Kentucky,  and  the  incidents,  often  repeated 
in  his  mother's  cabin,  of  the  long  journey  to 
the  "West.  He  had  his  tale,  too,  of  Indian 
cruelties,  which  aroused  the  ardent  spirit  of 
Abraham.  Sarah  was  better  suited  with  the 
accounts  of  autumn  feasts  among  neighbors, 
and  of  their  winter  merry-making.  Mr.  Lin 
coln  told  a  story  well,  and  he  was  fully  re 
warded  when  he  saw  the  happy  countenances 
of  Sarah  and  Abraham,  as  they  sat  on  their 
little  stools  at  his  feet,  listening  with  sparkling 
eyes.  Mrs.  Lincoln's  amusement  of  the  chil 
dren  was  accompanied  by  a  more  valuable 
instruction,  and  even  her  husband  greatly  prof 
ited  by  her  pleasant  words.  At  this  time  there 
were  only  two  books,  so  far  as  we  can  learn,  in 
the  Lincoln  cabin,  the  Bible  and  Catechism. 
From  these  precious  truths  were  taught.  The 
word  of  God  became  more  valuable  to  Abra 
ham  than  the  highest  honors  or  the  greatest 
treasures.  Sitting  at  his  mother's  feet,  he  list 
ened  to  those  Bible  stories  which  have  such 


28  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

wonderful  power  to  interest  and  instruct,  and 
of  which  the  good  never  tire.  Even  at  this 
early  age  he  had  a  keen,  inquiring  mind,  and 
asked  many  questions  concerning  Joseph,  Mo 
ses,  Samuel,  David,  and  other  famous  men, 
which  his  mother  took  great  pleasure  in  an 
swering.  When  he  was  alone  with  Sarah  he 
had  his  wise  opinions  to  offer  concerning  what 
his  mother  had  read.  These  sayings,  though 
childish,  were  little  sparks  from  the  same  glow 
ing  mind  which  so  amused  and  instructed 
others  in  later  years. 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  29 


CHAPTEE  III. 

f    ^.**<i*it 

A    NEW    HOME. 

IN  1816,  when  Abraham  was  in  his  eighth  year, 
his  father  began  to  think  of  a  new  home.  He 
seemed  to  like  moving  ;  and  the  excitement  at 
tending  a  new  situation,  different  scenes,  and 
untried  difficulties,  was  the  stimulus  to  activity 
in  which  he  delighted.  Things  were  uninterest 
ing  to  pioneers  after  they  became  familiar ;  at 
least  this  appears  to  have  been  the  case  with 
Mr.  Lincoln.  "We  do  not  think  his  thoughtful, 
frail  wife  felt  just  so,  yet  she  possessed  a  heroic 
as  well  as  loving  spirit,  and  where  her  dear  ones 
went  she  followed  with  a  calm  trust  in  the  God 
of  providence. 

Mr.  Lincoln  could  readily  find  some  excuse 
for  his  desire  to  push  on  further  West.  The 
titles  to  lands  in  Kentucky  were  much  disputed 
at  this  time.  Old  settlers  were  sometimes 


30  THE   FOREST  BOY. 

obliged  to  give  up  their  homes  and  improved 
lands  to  new  claimants,  because  the  records  of 
the  courts  had  not  been  carefully  kept.  Daniel 
Boone,  whose  right  to  whatever  land  in  Ken 
tucky  he  could  reasonably  desire  must  have  been 
as  good  as  any  claim  could  be,  except  that  of 
the  Indians,  was  dispossessed  of  nearly  all  his 
estate  by  later  comers.  Mr.  Lincoln  hoped  that 
further  west  his  home  would  be  more  secure. 

He  thought,  too,  of  the  evils  of  slavery,  which 
were  spreading  over  this  new  country,  and  did 
not  wish  his  children  to  grow  up  under  its  influ 
ence.  Yet  his  son  never  thought  that  this  was  a 
principal  reason  for  his  removal.  He  could  not 
then  see  the  sinfulness  of  slavery  as  good  men 
have  since  seen  it ;  but  he  saw  enough  to  con 
vince  him  that  he  and  his  family  would  be  hap 
pier  and  more  prosperous  in  a  free  state. 

While  Mr.  Lincoln  was  planning  in  reference 
to  his  new  home,  and  talking  the  matter  over 
with  his  wife,  a  man  by  the  name  of  Colby 
came  into  his  cabin.  He  wanted  to  buy  the 
farm,  and  does  not  appear  to  have  been  afraid 


THE  FOKEST  BOY.  31 

that  Mr.  Lincoln's  title  was  not  good.  They 
soon  made  a  bargain,  Colby  agreeing  to  pay  for 
the  house  and  cultivated  lands,  for  the  whole 
real  estate  of  Thomas  Lincoln,  three  hundred 
dollars  !  The  very  convenient  "  greenback " 
currency,  which  passes  alike  at  the  counter  in 
ISTew  York  or  Boston  and  the  cabin  of  the  West, 
was  not  of  course  in  circulation  then,  and  gold 
and  silver  were  seldom  seen  among  the  buyers 
and  sellers  of  those  forest  homes.  We  should 
not,  however,  have  "guessed"  that  the  pur 
chaser  of  the  farm  paid  for  it  mostly  in  whisky  / 
but  such  was  the  case.  He  agreed  to  give  ten 
barrels  of  that  article,  valued  at  two  hundred 
and  eighty  dollars,  and  twenty  dollars  in  cash. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  these  were  days 
when  even  good  men  thought  that  the  daily 
use  of  intoxicating  liquors  as  a  drink  might  be 
good ;  but  they  have  learned  better  now,  and 
the  light  that  has  been  given  to  the  people  of 
the  country  through  the  temperance  cause  ren 
ders  the  making,  selling,  or  using  the  poisonous 
article  as  a  drink,  a  sin.  Mr.  Lincoln  learned 


32  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

in  after  years  that  the  wise  treatment  of  whisky 
was  neither  to  touch,  taste,  nor  handle  it. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  to  have  a  short  time  in 
which  to  make  his  preparations  to  move.  He 
at  once  built  a  flatboat,  and  launched  it  upon  a 
stream  a  short  distance  from  his  cabin,  called 
the  Rolling  Fork.  Into  this  flatboat  (a  boat 
much  like  gondolas  of  the  Eastern  shores)  he 
put  his  ten  barrels  of  whisky  and  the  heavy  ar 
ticles  of  the  farm  and  cabin.  He  then  started 
off  to  find  a  spot  for  his  new  home,  leaving  his 
family  until  his  return.  He  floated  down  the 
Rolling  Fork  into  the  Ohio  River,  and  then 
along  the  shore  safely  for  some  distance.  But 
the  most  careful  navigator  is  sometimes  wrecked; 
so  Mr.  Lincoln,  though  doubtless  very  carefully 
watching  to  avoid  every  danger,  as  a  man  would 
naturally  do  whose  boat  bore  his  entire  wealth, 
was  upset,  and  his  cargo  plunged  into  the  rush 
ing  waters.  He  must  have  been  near  some 
landing-place,  as  he  obtained  immediate  aid  in 
righting  his  boat  and  saving  a  few  barrels  of 
whisky  and  some  other  valuable  articles.  His 


THE   FOREST   BOY.  33 

loss,  however,  must  have  been  very  severe,  and 
he  doubtless  continued  his  voyage  with  a  sor 
rowful  heart.  Landing  at  Thompson's  Ferry, 
Indiana,  he  gave  a  man  his  flatboat  to  carry 
him  and  his  goods  into  the  interior.  Their  team 
dragged  slowly  along  a  poor  road ;  sometimes 
they  were  obliged  to  stop  and  open  one  through 
the  woods  with  the  ax.  They  arrived  at  last, 
after  journeying  eighteen  miles,  at  a  location 
whose  fertility  and  beauty  invited  them  to  stop. 

Leaving  his  goods  in  the  care  of  a  neighbor, 
about  two  miles  off,  Mr.  Lincoln  returned  with 
the  wagon  to  Thompson's  Ferry,  and  having 
crossed  the  Ohio,  walked  home. 

The  days  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  absence  were  busy 
and  thoughtful  ones  with  Mrs.  Lincoln  and  the 
children.  It  was  hard  parting  with  a  spot 
where  all  the  sights  and  sounds  reminded  them 
of  happy  days  which  were  past.  They  visited 
the  grave  of  little  baby  Thomas,  and  shed  over 
it  their  parting  tears.  This  last  incident  deeply 
affected  Abraham,  and  he  often  referred  to  it  in 
the  years  of  his  manhood  with  much  emotion. 


34:  THE   FOREST  BOY. 

Everything  being  ready,  the  bedding  and  the 
few  remaining  household  articles  were  packed 
upon  three  horses,  and  the  family,  riding,  but 
frequently  on  foot,  began  their  journey.  In 
seven  days  they  reached  the  spot  selected  by 
Mr.  Lincoln.  Here  a  log-cabin  was  built  by 
the  assistance  of  a  neighbor,  and  they  were  soon 
surrounded  with  such  comforts  as  belong  to 
these  humble  homes.  This  house  contained 
only  one  room  below,  and  a  small  attic  made  by 
laying  rough  boards  overhead ;  this  was  reached 
by  a  ladder,  and  was  Abraham's  bedroom. 
His  bed  was  a  bearskin  thrown  upon  the  boards, 
with  a  blanket  for  covering.  The  family  of 
course  lived  in  the  room  below,  which  served 
also  as  the  sleeping  room  of  Sarah  and  the 
parents.  Skins  put  up  at  the  doors  shut  out 
the  piercing  winds,  but  when  the  cold  was  se 
vere  all  slept  near  the  glowing  fire.  The  bed 
stead  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lincoln  was  made  by  a 
rough  framework  of  nails  and  slabs  fitted 
against  the  side  of  the  cabin,  with  a  sack  of 
dried  leaves  thrown  upon  it.  A  table  was  con- 


THEFOKESTBOY.  35 

structed  of  a  wide  slab,  with  legs  inserted  into 
the  rounded  side,  and  three  stools  were  made  in 
the  same  way  of  smaller  pieces. 

Their  "  mill "  was,  in  form,  like  the  "  mortar 
and  pestle  "  of  a  New  England  Thanksgiving 
day ;  "  the  mortar  "  being  about  three  feet  of 
the  trunk  of  a  large  tree,  whose  end  had  been 
burnt  out  to  hold  the  corn,  and  the  "  pestle  " 
being  a  heavy  piece  of  wood  hung  on  "  a  sweep," 
as  buckets  are  sometimes  hung  on  "  well  sweeps." 
This  contrivance  of  the  pioneers  saved  a  long 
and  difficult  journey  to  the  regular  mill.  Dur 
ing  the  winter,  which  was  now  near,  Mr.  Lin 
coln  was  engaged  in  chopping  down  trees  and 
clearing  the  land  for  the  spring  planting.  The 
comfort  of  the  family  was  much  aided  by  the 
sale  of  the  whisky  which  was  saved  from  the 
wreck  upon  the  Ohio.  The  trusty  gun,  that 
true  friend  of  the  pioneer,  brought  them  plenty 
of  game.  The  fire  burned  cheerfully  within 
the  cabin  of  Thomas  and  Nancy  Lincoln,  and 
we  will  enter  to  see  what  besides  they  had  to 
make  them  happy. 


36  THE  FOKEST  BOY. 


CHAPTER  IY. 

SCHOOLS     AND     BOOKS. 

E~OT  long  before  Abraham  left  Kentucky,  and 
when  he  was  about  seven  years  of  age,  Zecha- 
riah  Riney  opened  a  school  for  the  children  of 
the  neighborhood  of  Nolin  Creek.  Of  the 
school-house  in  which  the  scholars  daily  assem 
bled  we  know  nothing;  but  we  may  safely 
imagine  that  some  log-cabin,  or  a  room  of  the 
plainest  frame  building,  was  gladly  accepted 
for  the  purpose.  Riney  taught  three  months, 
and  Abraham  attended,  commencing  to  read 
and  write.  Caleb  Hazel  soon  took  the  school, 
and  taught  another  three  months.  During 
these  six  months  Abraham  made  rapid  improve 
ment,  and  at  the  close  of  the  last  term  was  able 
to  read  in  the  family  the  plain  portions  of  the 
Bible,  greatly  to  the  gratification  of  his  parents. 
Soon  after  the  removal  to  Indiana  there  were 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  37 

others  who  taught  for  a  little  while  at  a  time ; 
and  Abraham's  parents,  though  so  very  poor, 
always  succeeded  in  making  some  arrangement 
by  which  he  could  have  the  benefit  of  these 
opportunities.  These  teachers  were  men  of 
little  education ;  but  they  could  read,  and 
write,  and  "  cipher,"  and  these  were  attain 
ments  which  rendered  them  very  useful  to  the 
pioneer  children.  Indeed,  but  few  of  the 
parents  could  see  the  utility  of  studying  books 
beyond  this,  and  some  regarded  even  this  small 
degree  of  learning  as  quite  unnecessary. 

Abraham's  entire  school  privileges  extended 
through  one  year  only.  But  at  the  end  of  this 
time  he  could  write  a  tolerably  correct  and 
intelligible  letter.  It  was  not  only  by  the 
teaching  which  he  received  in  school  that  he 
was  enabled  to  do  this ;  he  diligently  practiced 
at  home.  Though  pens,  paper,  and  ink  were 
scarce  in  his  father's  cabin,  charcoal  and  birch 
bark  were  not,  and  these  answered  in  their 
stead.  Sitting  down  by  the  cheerful  fire,  he 
wrote,  over  and  over  again,  the  copy  set  him 


38  TlIEFOKESTBOY. 

by  his  teacher.  Sarah  was  astonished  at  his 
success,  and  felt  proud  of  her  ambitious  brother. 
The  father  and  mother  looked  approvingly  at 
their  boy,  and  silently  prayed  that  God  would 
make  him  a  good  and  useful  man. 

The  only  text-book  which  Abraham  pos 
sessed  during  these  school-days  was  an  old  copy 
of  Dillworth's  speller.  This  and  the  Bible  and 
Catechism  were  constantly  in  his  hands  during 
his  leisure  hours,  when  he  was  not  practicing 
with  his  birch-bark  copy-books.  No  doubt  he 
delighted  "to  spell"  his  sister  Sarah,  and  to 
puzzle  even  older  persons  with  the  hard  words 
he  had  learned.  Boys  of  his  age  who  love 
their  studies  are  apt  to  go  humming  round  the 
house,  showing  off  their  learning  to  the  other 
members  of  the  family. 

Having  now  a  good  start  in  reading,  other 
books  fell  into  his  hand  from  time  to  time. 
The  kind  providence  of  God  finds  food  for  such 
hungry  little  minds,  just  as  he  provides  food 
and  clothing  for  their  bodies.  "  Esop's  Fables  " 
was  the  next  book  of  which  he  became  the 


THE  FOREST   Boy.  39 

owner.  Its  pictures,  though  coarse  in  compari 
son  with  those  of  our  present  juvenile  works, 
were  exceedingly  attractive,  and  its  lessons, 
taught  by  the  stories  of  beasts  and  birds,  deeply 
impressed  him.  His  pleasure  in  sitting  by  the 
blazing  fire  during  the  winter  evenings  was 
greatly  increased  as  he  read  its  pages,  and 
repeated  its  fables  to  Sarah.  It  seemed  to  the 
eight-year-old  boy  a  long  step  up  the  ladder 
of  knowledge.  No  out-door  sport,  however 
much  he  delighted  in  it,  could  keep  him  a  long 
time  from  his  books. 

On  one  occasion  his  love  for  a  gun  was 
greatly  excited.  His  father  had  gone  with  his 
ax  to  work  in  the  forest.  Abraham  looked 
through  the  openings  between  the  logs  of  the 
cabin,  and  saw,  not  far  off,  a  flock  of  wild 
turkeys.  He  had  never  fired  a  gun,  but  at 
once  determined  to  try.  Taking  his  father's 
fowling-piece  from  its  place,  he  pointed  it 
through  the  crevice  of  the  logs  and  fired,  kill 
ing  one  of  the  finest  of  the  flock.  This  was 
considered  a  wonderful  shot  for  such  a  boy, 


40  THE   FOKEST  BOY. 

and  Abraham  was  flattered  more  for  it  than  for 
his  ambition  to  get  useful  knowledge.  Yet  he 
never  learned  to  love  the  life  of  a  hunter. 
Gunning  seemed  an  idle  way  of  spending  time, 
except  when  it  was  necessary  to  obtain  food. 

Just  in  good  time,  when  Esop's  Fables  had 
been  well  read,  and  its  lessons  deeply  impressed 
upon  his  mind,  "  Bunyan's  Pilgrim's  Progress  " 
was  obtained.  He  was  prepared  for  just  such 
kind  of  truth  as  it  imparted,  being  led  to  think 
of  lessons  more  important  than  those  of  the 
Fables;  not  new,  indeed,  but  set  forth  in  a 
new  and  impressive  manner.  He  followed  the 
Pilgrim  through  his  many  conflicts  to  the  gates 
of  the  Celestial  City,  and  felt  that  he  under 
stood  better  what  he  had  been  taught  from  the 
Bible  and  his  mother's  lips.  It  afforded  his 
mother  new  topics  for  religious  conversation, 
in  which  she  breathed  into  his  tender  mind  her 
living  Christian  spirit. 

The  next  book  with  which  Abraham  was 
enriched  was  "  Weems's  Life  of  Washington." 
This  was  the  most  exciting,  though  not  the 


THEFOKESTBOY.  41 

best  book  lie  had  read.  It  was  full  of  the  dash 
ing  adventures  of  the  southern  heroes  of  the 
Revolution.  Its  stories  of  battles  were  told 
with  great  spirit,  and  its  life-pictures  of  George 
Washington  were  deeply  impressive.  A  burn 
ing  love  for  his  country,  which  was  never 
extinguished,  was  kindled  by  its  pages.  He 
remarked  many  years  afterward,  "  I  remember 
all  the  accounts  there  given  of  the  battle-fields 
and  struggles  for  the  liberties  of  the  country." 
When  he  laid  down  this  book  to  get  wood  for 
his  mother's  fire,  or  to  aid  his  father  in  the 
work  of  the  farm,  he  was  thinking  about 
Washington  and  the  men  who  fought  with  him. 
It  was  always  one  of  his  peculiarities,  that  he 
thought  a  great  deal  of  what  he  read.  He  had 
many  questions  to  ask  his  parents  about  it, 
many,  indeed,  which  they  could  not  answer. 
He  says  of  himself,  in  looking  back  upon  these 
days:  "I  recollect  thinking  then,  boy  even 
though  I  was,  that  there  must  have  been  some 
thing  more  than  common  that  these  men 
struggled  for." 


42  THE  FOKEST  BOY. 

The  next  book  read  was  the  Life  of  Henry 
Clay.  Mr.  Clay  was  then  "the  young  man 
eloquent,"  whose  fame  was  filling  the  land. 
Many  thought  that  no  place  of  honor  in  the 
nation  was  so  high  as  not  to  be  within  reach  of 
his  brilliant  talents.  God  designed  Abraham 
Lincoln  for  a  politician  and  statesman,  and  this 
book  came  into  his  hands  to  lay  early  in  his 
mind  the  foundation  of  a  deep  interest  in  the 
great  questions  which  concerned  his  country's 
good. 

Abraham  was  now  about  nine  years  of  age. 
His  appearance  spoke  of  his  humble  condition. 
His  pants  and  coat  were  made  of  dressed  buck 
skin,  such  as  was  worn  by  the  Indians,  and  his 
cap  was  of  raccoon  skin.  He  was  happy  in 
his  Indiana  home,  and  in  the  glowing  ambi 
tion  which  his  books  had  inspired  within  his 
youthful  heart.  But  the  tender  sensibilities  of 
his  mind  were  to  be  made  strong  by  the  blasts 
of  adversity,  and  the  disciplining  of  severe 
bereavement. 


THE  FOKEST  BOY.  43 


CHAPTEE  Y. 

THE   GREAT  BEREAVEMENT. 

THERE  was  a  gloom  pervading  the  cabin  of 
Thomas  Lincoln,  when,  less  than  two  years  after 
he  came  to  Indiana,  his  wife  began  to  sink 
under  the  inroads  of  consumption.  The  faith 
ful  wife  and  loving  mother  was  about  to  leave 
her  forest  home  for  a  mansion  in  heaven.  Her 
spirit  toward  her  family  became  more  than  ever 
tender.  She  spoke  to  them  of  her  hope  in  the 
Saviour,  and  of  the  peace  which  passes  all  under 
standing,  conferred  by  the  merits  of  his  blood. 
Abraham  and  Sarah  listened  with  affectionate 
interest.  Already  she  seemed  to  them  "  an  an 
gel  mother,"  and  kindly  they  anticipated  all  her 
wants  ;  and  when  she  became  too  weak  to  leave 
her  bed,  they  moved  gently  about  the  cabin, 
fearing  to  make  any  noise  which  might  disquiet 
her  sensitive  nature.  Abraham  read  to  her  in 


4A  THE   FOREST  BOY. 

a  subdued  voice  the  exceeding  great  and  pre 
cious  promises  which,  she  had  loved  so  well  in 
health.  It  was  thus  that  God's  word  made  im 
pressions  upon  his  mind  too  sacred  ever  to  be 
effaced.  It  was  his  mother's  dying  support,  and 
it  spoke  peace  to  his  own  troubled  mind  in  the 
hours  of  great  sorrow.  When  at  last  his  moth 
er's  lifeless  form  lay  before  him,  his  Bible 
seemed  his  best  friend,  as  indeed  it  was. 

There  were  but  few  friends  to  call  at  the 
Lincoln  home  in  this  time  of  bereavement,  yet 
these  few  cordially  tendered  their  aid  and  sym 
pathy. 

Mrs.  Lincoln  was  buried  in  a  simple  manner, 
under  the  shadow  of  the  forest  trees.  Abraham 
lingered  upon  the  grave  and  wept.  There  was 
no  minister  of  the  Gospel  near,  but  the  influ 
ence  of  the  preaching  of  earlier  years  held  a 
silent  sway  over  his  heart. 

The  Lincoln  family  had  never  been  favored 
with  regular  public  religious  service.  When 
they  were  in  Kentucky  they  received  the  occa 
sional  visits  to  their  neighborhood  of  the  faith- 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  45 

ful  itinerants.  They  preached  in  the  open  for 
ests,  or  in  the  friendly  cabin,  to  which  the 
people  gathered  for  many  miles  around.  Their 
words  strengthened  the  faith  of  the  few  believ 
ers  among  the  settlers,  and  aroused  the  slumber 
ing  feelings  of  the  careless.  They  had  been 
much-loved  seasons  to  the  now  sainted  mother, 
and  Abraham  remembered  them  for  her  sake, 
and  felt  anew  their  power.  There  was  one 
among  these  itinerants  whom  he  called  to  mind 
with  special  love.  His  name  was  Elkins,  a 
Baptist  preacher.  A  few  months  after  Mrs. 
Lincoln's  death,  the  broken  circle  of  the  cabin, 
sitting  about  the  fireside,  talked  of  Parson  El- 
kins,  and  the  mother's  grave  unhonored  by  any 
religious  service.  It  was  decided  that  Abraham 
should  write,  inviting  him  to  come  and  preach 
her  funeral  sermon.  It  was  Abraham's  first 
letter,  and  in  a  holy  service  written.  With  deep 
interest  the  family  waited  a  reply.  In  due 
season  it  came,  the  good  man  willingly  prom 
ising  to  come  at  an  appointed  time.  Faithful 
to  his  promise,  he  made  the  difficult  journey  of 


46  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

nearly  one  hundred  miles  to  perform  the  labor 
of  love.  Abraham  had  diligently  extended  the 
notice  to  the  settlers  in  every  direction  for 
twenty  miles.  Parson  Elkins  entered  the  Lin 
coln  cabin,  and  there  learned  how  well  his 
Christian  friend  had  died  ;  he  had  observed  in 
earlier  days  how  well  she  had  lived.  At  the 
appointed  time  he  went  forth  to  meet  the  peo 
ple  around  her  grave.  It  was  a  beautiful  Sab 
bath  morning.  Notice  had  spread  beyond  the 
limits  of  Abraham's  most  distant  rides  to  carry 
it,  and  at  an  early  hour  the  congregation  began 
to  assemble.  Those  who  have  not  seen  such 
gatherings  cannot  understand  the  depth  of  inter 
est  which  is  manifested  in  the  pains  taken  to 
reach  the  place.  In  ox-teams,  on  the  backs  of 
mules  and  horses,  in  carriages  of  rude  construc 
tion,  and  on  foot ;  over  difficult  roads  and 
through  paths  scarcely  discernible,  they  press 
to  the  sacred  spot.  The  old  come  bending 
upon  the  tops  of  their  staves,  the  strong  labor 
ers  from  their  toil,  and  children  in  their  moth 
ers'  arms.  No  member  of  these  scattered  com- 


Young    Lincoln   at   his    Mother's   Grave. 


THE  FOEEST  BOY.  49 

munities  is  uninterested  in  these  solemn  gath 
erings. 

The  minister  took  his  stand  at  the  head  of 
the  grave.  Before  him,  sitting  upon  the  ground, 
or  in  vehicles  drawn  up  on  the  outskirts  of  the 
multitude,  or  standing  leaning  against  the  trees, 
was  a  congregation  as  solemn  and  as  eager  for 
the  bread  of  life  as  could  be  found  in  more  cul 
tivated  society.  The  hymn  was  read,  and  sung 
in  one  of  the  simple  melodies  so  common  among 
the  congregations  of  these  early  itinerants; 
simple,  but  full  of  deep  emotional  power.  The 
prayer,  and  the  sermon  that  followed,  were  not 
listened  to  with  a  mere  cold  respect  for  serious 
things.  The  audience  were  eager  to  hear,  and 
not  a  word  was  ]ost.  The  preacher  spoke  of 
Christ  as  the  "  resurrection  and  the  life,"  and 
closed  with  a  eulogy  on  the  character  of  the  de 
parted  saint.  Her  life  had  fully  prepared  her 
friends  and  neighbors  to  receive  the  glowing 
words  of  praise. 

As  the  people  slowly  dispersed,  Abraham 
stood  silent  and  alone  at  the  grave.  His  great 


50  THE  FOKEST   BOY. 

loss  came  home  to  his  heart  with  fresh  power, 
and  he  inwardly  resolved  to  follow  his  mother's 
example  in  loving  God  and  his  word. 

Abraham  and  Sarah  became  dearer  to  each 
other  after  their  mother's  death.  Upon  the 
latter,  now  about  eleven  years  of  age,  devolved, 
for  a  year  at  least,  the  in-door  care  of  the  fam 
ily.  But  her  brother,  whose  fondness  for  read 
ing  and  study  kept  him  at  home,  was  ever 
ready  to  help.  Kindness  to  others,  and  a  will 
ingness  to  bear  a  portion  of  their  burdens,  was 
always  a  trait  in  Abraham  Lincoln's  character, 
and  clearly  showed  itself  now  toward  his  sister. 
He  read  to  her  the  family  Bible,  and  studied  it 
alone,  until  he  could  repeat  a  large  portion  of 
it ;  when  in  after  years  he  was  in  great  trouble, 
its  sweet  promises  came  to  him  with  much 
comfort. 

Abraham's  father  married  about  a  year  after 
his  mother's  death.  This  second  wife  was  a 
kind  guardian  of  Abraham  and  his  sister,  and 
they  soon  learned  to  love  her  and  her  children, 
older  than  himself,  whom  she  brought  into  the 


THE   FOKEST   BOY.  51 

family.  His  weight  of  grief  abated  in  a  few 
years.  He  had  not  learned  to  love  his  mother's 
memory  less,  but  God  kindly  provides  a  balm  at 
the  hands  of  time  for  human  woe,  since  we  can 
not  worthily  serve  him  if  we  always  weep. 

At  the  end  of  four  years  from  his  mother's 
death  Sarah  died,  at  the  age  of  fifteen.  This 
renewed  cause  of  grief  to  her  sensitive  and  lov 
ing  brother  was  seen  for  a  long  time  in  his  sad 
countenance.  Indeed,  these  early  sorrows  were 
never  forgotten ;  perhaps  the  burden  of  other 
years  kept  them  in  remembrance.  The  painter 
of  "  The  Signing  of  the  Emancipation  Procla 
mation  "  says  that  Abraham  Lincoln's  counte 
nance  was  the  saddest  he  ever  saw. 


52  THE   FOREST  BOY. 


CHAPTEE   VI. 

EARLY    MANLINESS. 

As  Abraham  grew  to  early  manhood  he  became 
tall  and  strong  beyond  his  years.  He  rendered 
good  service  to  the  family  with  his  ax  in  felling 
trees  and  clearing  the  land,  and  with  the  hoe  in 
planting  and  cultivating.  But  he  did  not  vaunt 
himself  on  account  of  his  physical  powers,  and, 
though  stronger  than  most  of  his  associates,  and 
frequently,  in  a  playful  manner,  wrestling  and 
running  with  them,  he  never  used  his  superior 
ity  to  annoy  them.  He  was  more  ambitious  to 
excel  in  knowledge,  and  to  use  that  knowledge 
for  the  good  of  others.  He  became  the  general 
letter-writer  of  his  neighborhood.  The  pio 
neers,  being  away  from  their  early  friends  in  the 
older  states,  and  many  of  them  not  knowing 
how  to  write,  used  his  hand  and  pen  with  great 
pleasure.  It  is  evident  that  they  regarded  him  as 


THE    FOREST    BOY.  53 

no  ordinary  young  man,  and  even  then  learned 
to  look  up  to  him  as  their  leader ;  and  he  con 
stantly  strove  to  be  worthy  of  this  high  esteem. 

Not  long  after  the  death  of  his  mother  a  Mr. 
Crawford  opened  a  school  in  his  neighborhood. 
He  is  one  of  the  teachers  of  whom  we  have 
spoken,  under  whom  Abraham  obtained  the 
beginning  of  his  knowledge  of  arithmetic.  Mr. 
Crawford  was  a  very  kind-hearted  man,  and, 
seeing  Abraham's  love  for  books,  lent  him 
Ramsay's  Life  of  Washington.  This  was  a 
great  prize.  Weerns  had  excited  his  imagina 
tion  by  highly  colored  incidents  of  the  life  and 
times  of  the  Father  of  his  country ;  Ramsay 
gave  him  more  solid  information.  He  carried 
his  prize  home  as  a  miner  would  have  done  a 
piece  of  quartz  heavy  with  shining  gold.  He 
bounded  into  the  cabin,  holding  up  his  treasure 
to  his  father  and  Sarah,  (for  this  was  before  her 
death,)  his  face  flushed  with  excitement.  They 
were  both  pleased  with  his  good  fortune,  and 
Mr.  Lincoln  promised  himself  a  great  treat  in 
hearing  it  read. 


54  THEFOEESTBOY. 

After  the  toils  of  the  day  the  sadness  of  the 
broken  family  circle  was  for  the  time  relieved 
while  Abraham  sat,  with  his  back  to  the  fire, 
holding  up  the  borrowed  volume  to  its  light,  by 
which  he  read  aloud.  Candles  and  lamps  were 
luxuries  not  freely  used  by  the  pioneers.  The 
father  sat  on  one  side  of  the  fireplace,  resting 
his  chin  upon  his  hand  and  his  elbow  upon  the 
table,  looking  his  son  in  the  face  with  parental 
pride.  He  was  thinking  quite  as  much  of  the 
reader  as  of  the  great  and  good  man  of  whom 
he  was  reading.  Sarah  sat  upon  the  other  side, 
her  fingers  busily  employed  while  she  listened, 
and  her  eyes  now  and  then  resting  with  delight 
upon  her  noble  brother.  This  was  a  humble' 
literary  circle,  it  may  be,  but  its  waves  of  influ 
ence  were  to  be  extended,  by  the  blessing  of 
God,  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  and  to  the  latest 
generations ! 

Abraham's  interest  in  this  book  became  ab 
sorbing.  He  was  generally  prompt  to  obey  any 
requirement  of  his  father,  and  did  not  have  the 
bad  habit  of  waiting  for  a  second  request.  He 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  55 

was  also  ready  to  answer  promptly  and  kindly 
any  call  from  his  sister  for  assistance ;  but  he 
was  now  so  deeply  interested  in  his  book  that 
he  lingered  when  called  to  his  daily  task.  This 
was  not  right,  and  he  soon  saw  his  error  and 
corrected  it. 

A  sad  accident  to  this  volume  grew  out  of 
this  intense  interest.  Being  called  suddenly  to 
leave  it,  he  laid  it  down  in  his  hurry  upon  the 
open  window  seat ;  he  should  have  taken  a  mo 
ment  more  of  time  and  put  it  in  a  safe  place. 
While  he  was  absent  a  shower  came  up,  and  the 
book  was  badly  wet.  With  manly  honesty,  but 
with  a  heavy  heart,  Abraham  took  the  book  to 
Mr.  Crawford,  explained  to  him  how  it  hap 
pened,  and  offered  to  pay  for  the  damage  in 
work.  Mr.  Crawford  proposed  to  sell  him  the 
book  instead  of  taking  pay  for  the  injury.  To 
this  Abraham  readily  agreed,  and  "  pulled  fod 
der"  three  days  for  it.  When  at  length  he 
returned  home  he  felt  that  his  labor  had  made 
him  rich. 

The  following    incident    shows    how    much 


56  THE  FOKEST  BOY. 

kindness  to  others  was  united  with  his  manly 
bearing.  One  evening,  when  returning,  with 
several  young  men,  from  a  neighbor's,  where 
they  had  been  raising  the  frame  of  a  new  house, 
he  discovered  a  horse,  saddled  and  bridled, 
feeding  by  the  roadside.  lie  immediately 
recognized  it  as  the  horse  of  an  acquaintance, 
who  was  frequently  drunk.  The  young  men  at 
once  searched  for  the  owner,  and  found  him 
chilled  and  helpless  upon  the  ground.  Abra 
ham's  companions  sneeringly  remarked  that 
they  would  not  trouble  themselves  further  about 
the  miserable  fellow,  and  that  he  might  lie 
there  until  he  was  sober  enough  to  go  home. 
But  Abraham  Lincoln  could  never  turn  away 
from  any  person,  however  undeserving,  to  whom 
he  might  be  of  real  benefit.  He  begged  his 
companions  to  lift  the  man  upon  his  shoulders. 
He  then  carried  him  to  the  nearest  house. 
After  he  had  sent  to  his  father  an  account  of 
what  had  happened,  he  remained  and  nursed 
the  poor  inebriate  until  he  became  able  to  take 
care  of  himself.  Abraham  then  returned  home 


THE    FOREST    BOY.  57 

with  the  pleasant  thought  that  he  had  probably 
saved  the  man's  life. 

Every  manly  effort  gives  increased  desire  for 
other  efforts,  and  more  strength  in  their  per 
formance,  and  such  was  Abraham's  experience. 
When  he  was  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  the 
harvest  of  the  Lincoln  farm  proved  more  than 
was  needed  for  home  consumption  ;  the  surplus 
had  been  raised  by  his  own  hands,  so  he  formed 
the  resolution  of  building  a  small  natboat  and 
taking  this  produce  to  New  Orleans.  To  this 
Mrs.  Lincoln  objected.  Though  not  her  own  son, 
she  loved  Abraham.  The  distance  was  great, 
and  the  enterprise  was  full  of  dangers.  Besides, 
she  would  miss  him  so  much  from  the  log-cabin 
home  !  But  he  greatly  desired  to  go,  though  he 
declared  he  would  not  stir  a  step  without  her 
consent ;  he  wanted  to  see  .more  of  the  world, 
and  to  be  doing  more  for  the 'family.  The  mat 
ter  was  talked  over  by  the  father  and  mother, 
till  they  finally  decided  that  he  might  go.  If 
he  was  successful,  the  money  obtained  would 
enable  them  to  purchase  many  things  which 


58  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

they  very  much  needed.  They  knew  his  manly 
spirit  and  good  judgment,  and  felt  great  confi 
dence  that  he  would  succeed. 

Abraham  immediately  commenced  building 
his  flatboat.  He  had  a  few  tools, '  and  was 
fond  of  showing  his  skill  in  using  them.  His 
boat  was  soon  about  done.  One  day,  while  he 
stood  looking  at  it,  thinking  how  he  could  make 
it  stronger,  more  convenient,  or  improve  it  in 
any  way,  a  steamer  stopped  opposite  the  land 
ing.  There  were  no  wharves  at  that  time  on 
the  Ohio,  so  the  steamers  paused  for  the  passen 
gers  to  go  ashore  or  to  be  sent  aboard  in  boats. 
While  the  steamer  was  waiting,  two  gentlemen 
came  to  the  landing  in  a  carriage,  bringing 
heavy  trunks.  They  looked  at  several  boats 
which  were  ready  for  their  accommodation,  and 
finally  stopped  and  looked  at  Abraham's.  Ap 
proaching  him,  they  said,  "  "Whose  boat  is  this, 
young  man  ? " 

"  It  is  mine,"  he  replied  with  an  honest  pride. 

"  Will  you  carry  us  and  our  trunks  to  the 
steamer?"  they  inquired  again. 


THE   FOREST  BOY.  59 

"  Certainly,"  said  Abraham,  seizing  the  trunks 
and  placing  them  in  his  boat.  He  hoped  to 
earn  fifty  or  seventy-five  cents,  besides  accom 
modating  the  strangers.  The  gentlemen  sat 
upon  the  trunks  while  Abraham  sculled  them 
to  the  steamer.  They  stepped  on  board,  and  he 
lifted  their  trunks  to  the  deck.  The  steamer 
was  about  to  start,  when  he  called  to  the  stran 
gers,  reminding  them  that  they  had  not  paid 
him.  Thus  prompted,  they  each  threw  into  his 
boat  a  silver  half  dollar.  He  was  delighted. 
It  was  the  first  dollar  he  had  ever  earned.  He 
could  scarcely  believe  that  he,  a  tpoor  boy,  had, 
by  his  own  hard  labor,  earned  a  dollar  in  less 
than  $,  day.  When  Mr.  Lincoln,  in  after  years, 
told  this  story,  he  added  •  "  This  may  seem 
like  a  very  little  thing,  and  it  seems  to  me  now 
like  a  trifle.  But  it  was  a  most  important  inci 
dent  in  my  life.  The  world  seemed  wider  and 
fairer  before  me.  I  was  a  more  hopeful  and 
confident  being  from  that  time." 

"We  know  nothing  more  of  Abraham's 
first  trip  down  the  Mississippi,  but  are  con- 


60  THE   FOKEST  BOY. 

fident  its  results  met  the  expectations  of  Iris 
friends. 

Returning  to  bis  father's  farm,  he  cheerfully 
resumed  his  former  toil.  At  one  time  he  took 
a  grist  of  corn  upon  the  back  of  the  family 
horse,  and  rode  fifty  miles  to  get  it  ground. 
The  mill  was  a  very  poor  one,  turned  by  horse 
power.  The  customers  had  to  wait  their  turn, 
and  then  use  their  own  horse  to  move  the  mill 
stones.  Abraham's  turn  had  come,  and  having 
attached  his  horse  to  a  long  pole  by  which  the 
mill  was  put  in  motion,  he  was  following  her 
with  a  switch  and  "  a  cluck."  The  horse,  per 
haps  resenting  the  double  work  of  bearing  the 
corn  to  mill  through  so  great  a  distance,  and 
grinding  it  when  there,  suddenly  lifted  her  heels 
and  kicked  her  master,  stunning  him  by  the 
blow.  The  moment  he  came  to  himself  he  fin 
ished  his  "cluck,-'  and,  jumping  up,  compelled 
the  horse  to  complete  the  job  and  bear  him  and 
his  meal  home. 

The  monotony  of  his  daily  duties  was  broken 
soon  after  by  a  new  employment.  The  nearest 


THE   FOREST  BOY.  61 

point  on  the  Ohio  to  his  father's  farm  was  Troy, 
a  small  town  at  the  mouth  of  Anderson's  Creek. 
Here  for  a  few  months  he  acted  as  ferryman, 
thus  adding  to  his  knowledge  of  river  life. 

A  year  after  Abraham's  first  voyage  down 
the  Mississippi  in  his  own  small  flatboat.  a  trad 
ing  neighbor  proposed  a  much  more  important 
trip.  He  desired  him  to  take  a  flatboat  cargo 
to  the  sugar  plantations  near  New  Orleans. 
The  trader  proposed  to  invest  a  considerable 
amount  of  money  in  the  enterprise,  so  that  to 
him  as  well  as  to  Abraham  it  was  an  important 
affair.  But  he  knew  Abraham's  honesty  and 
good  management.  He  believed  that  he  would 
make  the  trip  profitable. 

Abraham  set  out  on  the  long  voyage  of  eight 
een  hundred  miles  with  the  son  of  his  employer. 
They  sailed  only  about  as  fast  as  the  current  of 
the  "  Father  of  Waters  "  carried  them.  With 
a  long  oar  extending  from  each  side,  and  one  at 
the  stern,  to  keep  the  boat  in  the  deep  water, 
and  prevent  it  from  striking  the  "snags"  and 
"sawyers,"  they  moved  quietly  along.  Some- 


62  THE  FOEEST  BOY. 

times  the  river  spread  itself  over  a  great  extent 
of  country,  and  they  were  at  a  loss  to  keep  the 
channel.  At  other  times  it  rushed  through  a 
narrow  "  cut  off,"  and  compelled  them  to  work 
with  great  vigor  and  skill  to  prevent  their  boat 
from  being  upset  or  dashed  against  the  shore. 

They  had  a  little  cabin  on  board,  in  which 
they  cooked,  and  into  which  they  crawled  for 
rest  and  shelter.  When  the  darkness  or  the 
weather  prevented  them  from  sailing  safely, 
they  tied  the  boat  up  to  the  shore. 

Arriving  at  last  among  the  plantations  be 
tween  Natchez  and  New  Orleans,  they  began 
to  think  of  a  landing  and  a  sale.  One  night 
they  fastened  their  boat  to  the  banks  of  the 
river,  and  lay  down  to  sleep.  "When  the  night 
was  well  advanced,  Abraham,  who  was  not  ea 
sily  taken  by  surprise,  even  during  the  sleeping 
hours,  heard  the  sound  of  stealthy  steps  approach 
ing  the  boat.  He  shouted,  "Who's  there?" 
There  was  no  answer,  but  the  sudden  dash  of 
seven  negroes  toward  the  boat,  bent  on  plunder, 
and  perhaps  murder.  They  had  awoke  no 


THE  FOKEST   BOY.  63 

puny,  cowardly  opponent.  Abraham  seized  a 
club,  and  with  giant  blows  knocked  the  first 
three  comers  into  the  river.  The  others,  seeing 
Abraham's  companion  springing  to  the  rescue, 
and  intimidated  by  the  rough  handling  given 
to  their  comrades,  turned  to  escape.  But  their 
retreat  was  as  unsuccessful  as  their  attack. 
They  were  overtaken  and  severely  punished. 
The  others  scrambled  from  the  river,  and  having 
no  further  relish  for  the  fight,  ran  away.  The 
victors,  thinking  the  negroes  might  return  with 
fresh  recruits  in  large  numbers,  cast  off  their 
lines,  and,  drifting  down  the  river  a  mile  or 
two,  drew  up  again  to  the  shore  and  waited  for 
the  morning.  They  were  exhausted  and  a  little 
wounded  by  the  conflict,  but  not  seriously  hurt. 

Having  sold  their  cargo  to  good  advantage, 
they  disposed  of  their  flatboat  and  returned 
home. 

Abraham's  pay  for  his  services  was  at  the 
rate  of  ten  dollars  a  month.  This  was  small 
return  indeed,  but  he  received  large  compensa 
tion  in  the  increased  confidence  of  his  friends, 


64  THE   FOREST  BOY. 

and  in   the   future   development   of    a  manly 
character. 

He  was  now  nearly  a  man  in  years,  and  much 
larger  than  ordinary  men.  He  was  six  feet  and 
four  inches  in  height.  ~No  bad  habits  had 
weakened  his  body  or  clouded  his  mind.  He 
used  no  intoxicating  drinks,  and  turned  with 
manly  contempt  from  tobacco.  He  was  not 
guilty  of  the  low  sin  of  swearing,  and  his  word 
was  never  doubted  by  those  who  knew  him. 
Though  his  education  from  books  had  advanced 
no  further  than  the  capability  of  reading,  writ 
ing,  and  "  ciphering,"  he  had  a  brave  heart  and 
good  conscience.  Thus  prepared,  he  was  about 
to  begin  life  anew. 


THE   FOEEST  BOY.  65 


CHAPTEE  YIL 

BEGINNING     ANEW. 

THE  family  of  Thomas  Lincoln  had  been  in 
Indiana  about  fourteen  years.  Great  changes 
had  taken  place,  but  there  were  many  ties  to 
bind  them  to  their  home.  Here  were  the  graves 
of  their  loved  ones.  Many  acres  of  land  had 
been  brought  into  cultivation  by  severe  toil. 
Later  emigrants  had  settled  about  them,  and 
rendered  themselves  dear  by  acts  of  friendship. 
But  the  location  was  thought  to  be  unhealthy. 
The  heavy  growth  of  trees  rendered  the  labor 
of  any  further  clearing  of  the  land  very  great. 
Exciting  accounts  had  come  from  Illinois  of  the 
fertile  prairie  lands,  skirted  by  woods,  and  well 
watered  by  streams.  Dennis  Hanks,  a  relative 
of  Mr.  Lincoln's  first  wife,  was  sent  to  "spy 
out "  this  land  and  bring  them  word  again. 
He  returned,  and  reported  that  it  needed  only 


66  THE    FOREST    BOY. 

the  plow  to  prepare  it  for  the  seed,  and  that 
abundant  crops  could  be  secured  with  little 
labor. 

Thus  stimulated  to  indulge  his  moving  pro 
pensity,  Abraham's  father  sold  at  once  his  Indi 
ana  farm,  and  in  March,  1830,  was  on  his  way 
to  Illinois.  His  wife's  daughters  and  their  hus 
bands  were  of  the  company.  They  traveled 
with  ox-teams,  into  which  their  goods  were 
loaded.  The  family  rode  or  walked,  as  the  way 
permitted.  The  spring  rains  had  swollen  the 
rivers,  and  given  to  the  rich  soil  that  condition 
which  made  it  difficult  at  times  for  the  teams  to 
move.  One  of  them  was  driven  by  Abraham. 
He  had  just  completed  his  twenty-first  year, 
and  was  a  man  in  strength  and  energy.  While 
crossing  the  bottom  lands  of  the  Kaskaskia 
River,  the  men  of  the  family  waded  through 
water  several  feet  deep.  Persons  of  less  energy 
would  have  given  up  in  despair,  or  been  diverted 
from  their  purpose.  But  Abraham,  leading  the 
rest  with  his  team,  overcame  the  obstacles  by 
the  same  persistency  which,  in  after  years, 


THE  FOKEST  BOY.  67 

made  him  triumphant  in  nobler  enterprises.  In 
fifteen  days  the  party  traveled  two  hundred 
miles,  and  reached  Macon  County,  Illinois.  A 
spot  was  selected,  ten  miles  west  of  Decatur, 
on  the  north  side  of  the  Sangamon  River,  on 
prairie  land  bordered  by  a  fine  growth  of  trees. 
The  first  business  was  to  provide  a  new  home. 
Abraham  assisted  his  father  in  building  a  cabin, 
and  his  relative,  John  Hanks,  came  and  lent  a 
helping  hand  to  the  work.  The  house  was  cut 
and  split  from  the  forest  trees,  and  was  com 
pleted  in  four  days.  It  was  nine  logs,  or  about 
eighteen  feet,  high.  The  material  for  the  doors, 
floor,  and  shingling,  were  split  from  the  logs. 
It  was  eighteen  feet  long  and  sixteen  wide.  It 
had  neither  window  sashes  nor  glass,  but  a  hole 
in  the  shutters,  over  which  a  piece  of  oiled  paper 
was  drawn,  gave  them  a  little  light  when  the 
cold  required  the  shutters  to  be  closed.  Only  a 
few  nails  were  used  about  the  building,  and 
these  were  brought  from  Indiana.  It  was  a 
genuine  union  cabin,  nine  different  kinds  of 
wood  entering  into  its  material.  The  tools  used 


68  THE   FOREST  BOY. 

about  it  were  a  common  ax,  broad  ax,  hand 
saw,  and  "  a  drawer  knife."  A  few  out-build 
ings  were  erected  near  it,  and  the  home  was 
completed ! 

This  cabin  was  exhibited  during  the  summer 
of  1865,  on  Boston  Common,  by  the  Mr.  Hanks 
who  helped  build  it.  It  has  since  been  removed 
by  Mr.  Barnum  to  his  museum  in  ISTew  York. 

The  house  being  done,  Abraham  aided  in 
splitting  rails  enough  to  inclose  a  ten  acre  lot. 
A  good  friend  of  his  has  said  that  "  he  split  rails 
well."  He  did  well  all  common  work,  and  thus 
prepared  himself  for  higher  and  more  difficult 
labor. 

Having  inclosed,  he  assisted  in  plowing  and 
planting  the  ten  acre  field.  Thus  having  seen 
his  father's  family  comfortably  started  in  their 
new  position,  Abraham  spent  the  rest  of  the 
farming  season  with  neighboring  planters,  re 
ceiving  monthly  wages.  During  this  time  he 
broke  up  fifty  acres  of  prairie  land,  using  four 
yoke  of  oxen.  This  toil  afforded  him  only  a  liv 
ing.  But  his  mind  was  much  occupied  with 


THE   FOREST  BOY.  69 

nobler  purposes.  He  read  such  useful  books  as 
came  within  his  reach,  and  pursued  his  studies 
in  the  branches  of  knowledge  already  com 
menced. 

He  was  working  at  one  time  during  the  sum 
mer  on  the  farm  of  a  Mr.  Taylor,  and  boarding 
in  the  family  of  Mr.  Brown.  At  this  period 
there  were  in  that  section  of  country  no  public 
houses,  and  travelers  were  accommodated  at  the 
private  residences.  One  evening  a  man  rode 
up  to  Mr.  Brown's  fence,  and  inquired  if  he 
could  stay  over  night.  Mr.  Brown  replied  that 
he  could  give  him  something  to  eat,  and  take 
care  of  his  horse,  but  he  could  not  lodge  him 
unless  he  consented  to  sleep  with  the  hired  man. 

> 

The  stranger  hesitated  about  accepting  this  con 
dition,  and  asked  where  the  hired  man  was. 
"  You  can  come  and  see,"  replied  Mr.  Brown. 
So  the  stranger  dismounted,  and  Mr.  Brown  led 
him  round  where  Abraham  was  lying  in  the 
shadow  of  the  house,  at  full  length  upon  the 
ground,  deeply  interested  in  the  book  he  was 
reading.  "  There  he  is,"  said  Mr.  Brown, 


70  THE  FOKEST  BOY. 

pointing  to  Abraham.  The  stranger  scanned 
him  from  head  to  foot  as  he  arose,  his  sunburnt 
face  glowing  with .  good-nature  and  intelligence. 
"  He  will  do,"  said  the  stranger ;  and,  as  Abra 
ham  concluded,  upon  a  survey  of  the  visitor, 
that  he  would  do,  they  slept  together  that  night. 
The  family  of  Abraham's  father  were  disap 
pointed  in  their  new  location.  They  had 
sought  for  a  more  healthy  region  than  that  of 
Indiana.  But  here  they  were  all  attacked,  in 
the  first  autumn,  with  the  fever  and  ague. 
This  was  a  new  difficulty  for  the  pioneers,  and 
a  very  serious  one.  It  was  of  no  avail  that  the 
soil  was  fertile  and  the  scenery  beautiful.  It 
was  not  enough  that  their  neighbors  were  kind 
and  their  cabin  comfortable.  Without  health, 
all  was  marred.  So  in  the  spring  Abraham 
assisted  in  moving  the  family  to  Coles  County. 
Here  his  father  lived  until  he  had  completed 
his  seventy-third  year.  He  ever  received  from 
his  son  the  most  devoted  and  affectionate  atten 
tion.  He  died  July  17,  1852. 


THE   FOREST   BOY.  71 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

ENERGY  AND   HONESTY. 

ABRAHAM  did  not  fully  leave  the  parental  home 
until  his  father's  removal  to  Coles  County.  He 
then  became  only  a  visitor  there,  having  his 
residence  where  he  could  find  the  means  of 
living,  and  of  increasing  his  stock  of  book 
knowledge.  One  who  knew  him  well  at  this 
period,  having  split  rails  with  him,  says  he  was 
an  ungainly,  rough-looking  young  man.  His 
trowsers  were  made  of  coarse  material,  cut  tight 
at  the  ankles,  and  were  worn  through  on  both 
knees.  Though  he  was  known  to  be  very  poor, 
yet  such  was  the  esteem  in  which  his  character 
was  held,  and  the  pleasure  felt  in  his  social 
qualities,  that  he  was  a  welcome  guest  in  every 
family.  He  spared  no  pains  to  obtain  work, 
walking  sometimes  several  miles  before  and 
after  his  day's  toil ;  yet  his  cheerful  spirit  never 


72  THE   FOREST   BOY. 

received  the  prompting  which  comes  from  a  full 
purse. 

Wishing  at  one  time  to  obtain  a  pair  of  new 
pants  for  those  "out  at  the  knees,"  it  became 
a  study  to  know  how  he  should  pay  for  them. 
He  finally  made  a  bargain  with  Mrs.  Nancy 
Miller  for  the  necessary  yards  of  jean,  dyed 
with  white^walnut  bark,  agreeing  to  split  four 
hundred  rails  for  each  yard  of  cloth. 

One  so  willing  to  work  as  Mr.  Lincoln  could 
not  long  be  without  a  paying  employment. 
During  his  first  winter  in  Illinois  a  Mr.  OfFutt, 
a  trader,  proposed  to  engage  him  to  take,  in  the 
spring,  a  flatboat  to  New  Orleans.  Abraham's 
experience  in  this  hazardous  business,  and  his 
great  energy,  made  him  just  the  man  for  the 
service,  and  this  kind  of  business  suited  his  en 
terprising  spirit.  When  the  spring  opened  he 
purchased  a  canoe,  and,  taking  John  Hanks  ' 
and  John  D.  Johnston  as  his  companions  in  the 
voyage,  proceeded  down  the  Sangamon  Kiver 
to  Springfield.  They  here  met  Offutt,  but  he 
had  failed  to  purchase  a  flatboat  according  to 


THE    FOREST   BOY.  73 

the  previous  arrangement.  The  three  voyagers 
immediately  went  about  seven  miles  northwest 
of  Springfield,  to  Sangamon  town,  on  the  river 
of  the  same  name,  and  built  and  launched  a 
flatboat.  They  did  the  work  at  the  rate  of 
twelve  dollars  a  month,  chopping  out  logs  for 
the  material  from  heavy  timber,  and  sawing 
them  into  planks  with  "  a  whip-saw."  They 
floated  their  boat  down  the  river  below  New 
Salem,  and  landed  at  a  point  where  a  drove  of 
hogs  were  to  be  taken  on  board.  The  hogs 
were  wild,  having  grown  up  in  the  woods,  and 
would  be  neither  coaxed  nor  driven  into  the 
boat.  The  business  of  taking  in  freight  was  for 
a  brief  time  at  a  standstill ;  but  Mr.  Lincoln 
was  not  to  be  turned  aside  from  his  purpose  by 
the  stubbornness  of  a  drove  of  hogs.  Seizing 
them,  one  by  one,  he  dragged  them  along,  in 
spite  of  their  noisy  protests  and  vigorous  resist 
ance,  and  tumbled  them  into  the  boat.  Then, 
after  completing  their  cargo  with  a  variety  of 
articles  of  less  troublesome  freight,  they  started 
for  New  Orleans.  Mr.  Hanks,  fearing  a  longer 


74:  THE    FOREST    BOY. 

absence  from  his  family  than  he  had  supposed, 
left  them  at  St.  Louis,  and  returned  home. 
The  trip  was  made  by  the  other  two,  the  boat 
and  cargo  sold  at  good  advantage,  and  the  set 
tlement  made  with  Mr.  Offutt  to  his  satisfac 
tion.  In  fact  he  was  so  well  pleased  with  Mr. 
Lincoln,  that  he  offered  him  further  employ 
ment.  Mr.  Offutt  had  a  store  and  mill  at  New 
Salem.  These,  during  his  trading  excursions 
about  the  country,  he  had  intrusted  to  clerks, 
who  had  disgusted  and  driven  away  his  custom 
ers  by  their  bad  manners,  and  cheated  him  in 
their  accounts.  He  gave  the  charge  of  this  mill 
and  store  to  Mr.  Lincoln,  who  brought  to  the 
new  position  industry  and  fidelity.  He  knew 
what  ought  to  be  done,  and  did  it  promptly. 
The  people  of  the  whole  region  soon  learned  to 
like  the  new  clerk,  and  nocked  to  the  store  both 
to  buy  goods  and  to  hear  his  pleasant  talk. 
The  business  increased,  and  so  did  the  gains  of 
his  employer,  for  they  did  not  now  stop  in  the 
clerk's  pocket,  or  slip  through  the  clerk's  fin 
gers  for  his  own  gratification.  His  exact  hon- 


THE   FOREST   BOY.  75 

esty  became  well  known,  but  bis  way  of  show 
ing  it  was  sometimes  a  little  amusing.  A 
woman  came  into  tbe  store  and  bought  goods 
to  the  amount  of  two  dollars  and  six  cents. 
She  paid  that  sum,  and  left  the  store.  When 
she  had  gone,  Mr.  Lincoln  cast  up  the  figures 
again  to  assure  himself  that  he  was  right,  and, 
in  doing  so,  ascertained  that  he  had  taken  just 
six  cents  too  much.  It  was  toward  the  close  of 
the  business  hours,  so,  shutting  the  store,  he 
walked  between  two  and  three  miles,  found  the 
customer,  paid  the  balance  due,  and  returned 
with  the  satisfaction  of  having  acted  squarely 
up  to  a  high  sense  of  right. 

At  another  time,  just  as  he  was  about  to 
close  the  store  for  the  night,  a  woman  called 
for  half  a  pound  of  tea.  It  was  weighed,  as  he 
supposed,  and  the  customer,  having  paid  the 
price,  departed.  On  opening  the  store  in  the 
morning  he  observed  a  four-ounce  weight  in 
the  scales.  It  was  at  once  plain  to  Mr.  Lin 
coln  that  he  had  given  the  woman  but  half  as 
much  tea  as  she  paid  for.  He  immediately 


76  THE    FOKEST    BOY. 

locked  the  store,  and,  without  first  getting  his 
breakfast,  took  a  long  walk  to  deliver  the  full 
weight. 

Since  "  a  good  name  is  rather  to  be  chosen 
than  great  riches,"  Abraham  Lincoln  had  now 
acquired  a  priceless  treasure.  His  honesty  be 
came  as  widely  known  as  his  tall  figure,,  at 
tractive  stories,  and  great  physical  power. 
"  Honest "  became  from  this  time  the  prefix  to 
his  name ;  his  rough  companions  always  spoke 
of  him  as  "  Honest  Abe  ;"  and  the  loyal  masses 
of  his  whole  country  delighted,  a  few  years 
after,  with  more  hearty  good-will  than  good 
taste,  to  ring  the  changes  upon  the  name  of 
"  Honest  Abe,"  varying  it  by  the  still  more 
distasteful  appellation  of  "  Old  Abe."  Our 
youthful  readers  will  prefer  to  know  and  speak 
of  him  as  the  pure  principled  man,  honest 
Abraham  Lincoln. 

At  one  time,  while  Mr.  Lincoln  was  waiting 
upon  several  ladies,  a  boastful  ruffian  came  into 
the  store,  using  toward  him  the  most  abusive 
language,  and  challenging  him  to  fight.  Mr. 


THE    FOKEST    BOY.  77 

Lincoln  begged  of  him  not  to  use  such  lan 
guage,  especially  as  ladies  were  present.  To 
this  gentleness  the  braggart  replied  by  shaking 
his  fists,  and  shouting,  "  Let  the  man  come  on 
who  dares  to  tell  me  what  I  shall  say."  Mr. 
Lincoln  replied  that  if  he  would  wait  until  the 
ladies  were  gone  he  would  try  to  satisfy  him,' 
and  this  he  succeeded  in  doing,  though  not  in 
the  way  his  annoyer  sought.  The  two  step 
ping  out  of  the  store,  he  easily  laid  the  boaster 
upon  his  back,  and,  holding  him  in  his  giant 
grasp  with  one  hand,  and  reaching  out  the 
other  for  a  handful  of  "  smart  weed,"  he  rubbed 
it  freely  upon  his  face  and  into  his  eyes,  until 
he  cried  out  like  a  whipped  spaniel.  Mr.  Lin 
coln  then,  with  the  utmost  good-nature,  which 
had  not  been  for  a  moment  disturbed  during  the 
whole  incident,  brought  water  and  tenderly  aided 
in  alleviating  the  pain  of  the  just  punishment 
he  had  inflicted.  The  rowdy,  thoroughly  hum 
bled  by  his  defeat,  and  completely  won  by  the 
kind  manner  in  which  it  was  done,  became  the 
steady  and  warm  friend  of  his  victor. 


78  THE   FOREST   BOY. 

Another  incident,  somewhat  like  the  one  just 
given,  illustrates  still  more  the  character  of  the 
pioneer  community  in  which  Mr.  Lincoln  lived, 
as  well  as  his  own  peculiarities. 

There  was  about  New  Salem  a  company 
called  the  "  Clary's  Grove  Boys,"  composed  of 
the  strongest,  fleetest,  bravest,  and  most  unprin 
cipled  young  men  of  the  vicinity.  They  as 
sumed  the  authority  of  "  regulators ; "  that  is, 
they  banded  together  to  whip  those  who  refused 
to  acknowledge  their  rule.  They  were  especi 
ally  severe  toward  strangers  coming  to  reside 
among  them.  They  required  such  to  race, 
wrestle,  or  fight  with  one  of  their  number.  Of 
course  Mr.  Lincoln  was  considered  an  excellent 
subject  for  such  demands  ;  and,  as  he  had  always 
been  used  to  trying  his  physical  strength  with 
his  associates,  he  was  not  displeased  with  the 
proposed  trial.  The  Clary's  Boys  selected  as 
their  champion  a  young  man  by  the  name  of 
Armstrong,  who  was  charged  with  the  duty  of 
wrestling  with  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  laying  him  on 
his  back.  The  whole  gang  gathered  around  to 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  79 

see  the  sport.  It  was  soon  apparent,  to  the  vex 
ation  of  "  The  Boys,"  that  Armstrong  had  met 
with  more  than  his  match  ;  but  with  a  meanness 
belonging  to  such  low  minds,  they  proceeded  to 
indulge  in  "foul  play,"  striking  and  tripping 
Mr.  Lincoln,  until  he  was  thrown  down.  The 
Clary's  Boys  shouted  in  triumph,  and  Lincoln, 
instead  of  getting  angry  at  their  unfairness,  and 
thus  affording  them  a  pretext  to  unite  and  flog 
him,  laughed  as  heartily  as  any  of  them.  They 
could  neither  match  his  strong  arm  nor  over 
come  his  good  temper.  Their  envy  and  desire 
to  annoy  him  were  turned  into  admiration,  and 
they  gave  him  an  urgent  invitation  to  become 
one  of  their  number.  But  he  preferred  more 
profitable  employment  and  better  company.  He 
had  made  them  his  friends,  and  their  good-will 
soon  after  helped  him  in  advancing  a  step 
higher. 


80  THE  FOREST  BOY. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A    STEP    HIGHER. 

HAVING  become  known  as  a  strong  and  brave 
man,  and  having  secured  the  confidence  of  all 
in  his  honesty,  Mr.  Lincoln  determined  to  earn 
a  higher  reputation  for  intelligence.  While  in 
Offutt's  store,  after  having  read  all  the  books 
within  his  reach,  he  resolved  to  make  himself 
acquainted  with  English  grammar.  But  he 
could  not  obtain  a  grammar  for  some  time  after 
he  had  made  this  resolution.  He  at  last  heard 
of  a  man,  eight  miles  from  New  Salem,  who 
owned  one.  He  at  once  walked  to  his  house 
and  borrowed  it.  It  was  Kirkham's,  a  work 
which  had  an  extensive  popularity  in  the  West 
and  South  thirty-five  years  ago.  It  was  an  ad 
mirable  text-book  for  one  endeavoring  to  learn 
without  a  teacher.  It  contained  simple  state 
ments  and  examples  for  beginners  under  each 


THE    FOREST    BOY.  81 

rule  ;  in  critical  notes  at  the  bottom  of  the  page 
it  gave  the  necessary  information  for  more  ad 
vanced  study.  Mr.  Lincoln  took  his  prize,  and 
stole  away  as  often  as  possible  to  make  himself 
master  of  its  contents.  In  the  mean  time  Mr. 
Offutt,  who  was  a  general  trader,  having  his 
business  spread  widely  over  the  country,  failed, 
and  the  store  and  mill  were  shut  up.  Mr.  Lin 
coln  was  now  without  any  regular  employment, 
but  was  not  idle.  There  was  a  hill  just  out  of 
the  village  to  which  he  often  resorted  with  his 
grammar.  When  he  came  to  a  point  which  he 
did  not  understand,  he  made  a  note  of  it  and 
applied  to  his  friend,  Mr.  L.  M.  Green,  for  ex 
planation. 

Thus  persevering,  he  mastered  the  book. 
After  having  done  this,  he  playfully  remarked 
to  a  friend,  that  if  that  was  what  he  called  sci 
ence,  he  thought  he  could  "  subdue  another." 

Mr.  Lincoln  began  now  to  be  conscious  of  his 
great  powers,  and  the  eminence  to  which  he 
might  attain.  He  remarked  to  his  friend  Green, 
during  a  familiar  conversation,  that  none  of  his 


82  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

family  had  become  known  ^to  fame,  but  he  felt 
that  he  might  perhaps  excel  them  in  this  respect. 
He  had  talked  with  some  great  men,  and  did  not 
perceive  that  they  differed  very  much  from 
other  men. 

He  became  at  this  time  connected  with  the 
debating  clubs  of  New  Salem  and  vicinity,  and 
often  walked  six  or  seven  miles  to  attend  their 
meetings.  One  of  these  clubs  met  in  an  old 
store  at  New  Salem.  It  was  here  that  he  made 
his  first  speech.  He  called  the  discussions 
"  practicing  polemics."  Like  such  debates  gen 
erally  among  young  men,  these  "  polemics " 
were  very  amusing.  They,  however,  gave  Mr. 
Lincoln  confidence  in  his  own  powers  of  argu 
ment  and  utterance. 

The  following  incident,  related  to  us  by  his 
friend  and  relative,  John  Hanks,  must  have  oc 
curred  at  this  time,  and  shows  that  he  improved 
his  first  opportunity  to  try  his  gifts  before  a 
public  audience.  He  went  one  day  to  Decatur, 
about  ten  miles  from  New  Salem,  with  an  ox- 
team.  He  was  barefooted,  wore  a  jacket  and 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  83 

pants  of  the  coarsest  material,  and  had  on  his 
head  a  wide-rimmed  straw  hat,  not  in  the  best 
state  of  repair.  The  soil  of  the  muddy  road 
covered  his  feet  and  ankles. 

There  was  at  this  time  much  excitement 
throughout  Illinois  concerning  questions  then 
before  the  legislature  at  Yandalia,  and  a  politi 
cal  meeting  was  being  held  at  Decatur  in  refer 
ence  to  them.  A  gray-headed  man  had  just 
commenced  to  address,  out  doors,  a  crowd  of 
people  as  Mr.  Lincoln  arrived.  He  listened  at 
tentively  to  the  speaker,  and  when  he  closed 
John  Hanks  whispered,  "Abe,  you  can  beat 
that."  Mr.  Lincoln  shook  his  head,  but  contin 
ued  to  watch  the  proceedings  of  the  meeting. 
The  next  speaker  was  a  genteelly  dressed  and 
fluent  young  man.  To  his  speech  also  Mr. 
Lincoln  gave  the  closest  attention,  and  when  he 
sat  down  Hanks  touched  Lincoln  again,  saying, 
"  Abe,  I  know  you  can  beat  that." 

"  O  no,  John,  I  guess  not,"  replied  Mr.  Lin 
coln  modestly. 

But  Hanks  was  determined  to  call  his  friend 


84:  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

out,  and  he  commenced  canvassing  for  him 
among  the  crowd.  He  soon  rallied  a  party  who 
began  to  call  for  "  Abe  Lincoln."  It  was  per 
haps  the  first  utterance  of  the  public  voice,  local 
and  faint  then,  which  afterward  became  so  loud 
and  universal  that  it  elevated  him  to  the  most 
responsible  position  in  the  world. 

A  salt  box  wras  procured,  and,  mounting  it, 
"  all  accoutered  as  he  was,"  he  began  his  speech.* 
The  crowd  gathered  about  him ;  but  at  first  his 
appearance  repelled  attention,  and  the  noise 
drowned  his  voice.  But  soon  his  intelligent 
face,  good  sense,  and  his  clear,  full  utterance 
secured  for  him  a  favorable  hearing,  which  con 
tinued  to  the  close  of  a  long  speech.  The  ques 
tion  upon  which  he  spoke  was  in  reference  to 
an  appropriation  by  the  legislature  to  remove 
the  obstructions  to  navigation  in  the  Sanga- 
mon  River.  Perhaps  it  had  been  before  the 
debating  club  at  New  Salem ;  at  any  rate  he 
was  master  of  the  subject,  and  when  he  stepped 
down  from  the  salt  box  he  was  greeted  with 

*  See  Frontispiece. 


THE  FOKEST  BOY.  85 

hearty  cheers.  The  gray-headed  man  who  had 
first  spoken  was  excited  to  envy  by  the  superior 
popularity  with  the  people  of  the  uncouth 
stranger.  Approaching  him  in  an  excited  man 
ner,  he  exclaimed,  "  Young  man,  where  did  you 
learn  so  much  ?  " 

"In  my  father's  log -cabin,"  answered  Mr. 
Lincoln  promptly. 

Stimulated  by  this  success,  his  ambition  for 
reading,  study,  and  close  thought  took  a  new 
start.  A  gentleman  called  upon  him  one  day, 
and  found  him  lying  upon  a  trundle-bed  on  his 
back,  covered  with  books  and  papers,  intensely 
absorbed  in  study,  but  rocking  a  cradle  with 
his  foot,  thus  contriving  to  improve  his  mind, 
and  at  the  same  time  help  his  landlady  by 
caring  for  her  babe. 

Mr.  Lincoln  had  now  become  known  not 
only  for  his  bravery,  strength,  and  intelligence, 
but  for  his  sound  judgment  in  practical  matters. 
He  was  frequently  requested  to  decide  disputed 
claims,  to  settle  quarrels,  to  answer  knotty 

questions,  and  to  give  his  opinion  concerning 
6 


86  THE   FOKEST   BOY. 

business  of  grave  importance.  He  was  wel 
come  in  every  social  circle,  in  spite  of  his  pov 
erty  and  uncultivated  manners.  His  position 
was  indeed  one  in  advance  of  his  previous 
attainments. 


THEFOKESTBOY.  87 


CHAPTER  X. 

EAKLY  PUBLIC  HONORS. 

WHILE  Mr.  Lincoln  was  out  of  employment 
a  small  cloud  of  war  gathered  in  the  West. 
Black  Hawk,  chief  of  the  Sacs  Indians,  col 
lected  a  company  of  warriors  from  his  own  and 
neighboring  tribes,  and  came  east  toward  the 
old  hunting-grounds  'of  his  fathers.  Being 
threatened  by  a  United  States  force  greater 
than  his  own,  he  cunningly  sued  for  peace,  and 
promised  to  keep  the  old  treaty,  which  bound 
his  tribe  to  remain  on  the  west  of  the  Missis 
sippi  River.  But  this  was  only  a  pretext  for 
gaining  time  to  gather  more  warriors,  and 
make  greater  preparations  for  the  fight.  The 
next  spring  he  returned  in  great  force.  Being 
warned  back  by  the  general  in  command  of  the 
government  troops,  he  sent  an  answer  of  defi 
ance.  This  aroused  the  white  people  of  the 


88  THEFOKESTBOY. 

state,  and  the  governor  called  for  volunteers. 
Mr.  Lincoln  was  among  the  first  of  his  vicinity 
to  enlist,  and,  when  a  company  was  made  up, 
be  was  surprised  by  an  invitation  from  many  of 
his  comrades  to  stand  as  a  candidate  in  the 
election  of  its  captain.  There  was  but  one 
other  candidate,  a  man  of  influence  in  the 
county,  who  had  at  one  time  employed  Mr. 
Lincoln,  and  treated  him  in  an  arbitrary  and 
oppressive  manner.  The  election  was  con 
ducted  in  a  peculiar  way.  The  candidates  took 
their  places  a  little  distance  apart,  and  the 
members  of  the  company  walked  up  to  and 
stood  with  the  one  they  preferred.  One  after 
another  marched  to  the  side  of  Mr.  Lincoln, 
until  a  large  majority  had  thus  voted  for  him. 
Most  of  the  minority  then  left  his  opponent, 
making  his  election  nearly  unanimous.  His 
old  employer  and  opposer  was  keenly  mortified, 
while  Mr.  Lincoln  felt  a  glow  of  honest  pride 
at  his  success.  It  was  his  first  public  honor, 
and  from  this  time  the  world  looked  brighter, 
and  the  pathway  full  of  encouragement.  He 


THE    FOREST    BOY.  89 

frequently  referred  to  it  in  subsequent  years, 
and  declared  that  no  election  of  a  later  period 
so  much  gratified  him.  He  had  been  largely 
indebted  for  this  honor  to  his  old  opponents 
whom  he  had  vanquished  in  boxing,  wrestling, 
and  running. 

Black  Hawk  was  too  shrewd  to  fight  a  de 
cisive  battle  with  his  enemies,  but  broke  his 
forces  up  into  small  bands,  and  ravaged  the 
country.  This  compelled  the  volunteers  to 
make  long  and  forced  marches  without  bring 
ing  the  Indians  to  a  fight,  or  seeing  any  imme 
diate  results,  of  their  toil  and  sacrifices.  When, 
therefore,  their  thirty  days  of  enlistment  had 
expired,  the  most  of  them,  declaring  that  they 
had  seen  enough  of  such  warfare,  accepted  their 
discharge,  and  returned  home.  Mr.  Lincoln, 
however,  enlisted  as  a  private  for  another  thirty 
clays,  and  at  its  expiration  re-enlisted,  and  re 
mained  until  the  war  closed.  Black  Hawk  was 
pursued  by  a  portion  of  the  United  States 
troops,  and  finally  captured,  with  most  of  his 
fighting  men.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  not  in  the 


90  THE   FOKEST   BOY. 

fight,  but  returned  home  with  a  good  name, 
the  officers  respecting  him  for  his  intelligence 
and  fidelity  to  his  responsibilities,  and  the 
soldiers  loving  him  for  his  care  of  them  as  their 
commander,  and  for  his  story-telling,  wrestling 
habits  as  a  companion. 

In  referring  to  this  military  experience  in  a 
political  speech  many  years  after,  Mr.  Lincoln 
playfully  remarked,  that  though  he  was  not  on 
the  battle-field  during  the  fighting,  he  saw  the 
place  soon  after ;  and  though  he  did  not  break 
his  sword,  not  having  any  to  break,  he  did 
bend  his  musket  pretty  badly  at  one  time.  He 
declared  that,  though  he  did  not  charge  upon 
the  Indians,  not  having  seen  any,  he  made 
charges  upon  the  wild  onions,  and  had  many 
bloody  struggles  with  the  mosquitoes ;  and, 
though  never  faint  from  the  loss  of  blood,  he 
was  often  truly  very  hungry. 

He  had  not  been  at  home  ten  days  before  the 
election  for  the  state  legislature  took  place. 
Through  the  prompting  of  his  late  comrades  in 
arms,  he  was  put  up  as  a  candidate.  This  was 


THE   FOKEST   BOY.  91 

an  unexpected  honor,  and  affected  him  greatly 
by  its  expression  of  good- will.  As  the  ticket 
on  which  his  name  was  placed  was  that  of  the 
party  greatly  in  the  minority  in  the  county,  he 
was  not  elected,  but  obtained  nearly  the  entire 
vote  of  all  parties  in  his  immediate  neighbor 
hood  where  he  was  best  known. 

Being  now  about  twenty-eight  years  of  age, 
he  began  to  feel  keenly  the  necessity  of  a  more 
permanent  employment,  and  seriously  purposed 
to  learn  the  blacksmith's  trade ;  but  before  he 
had  taken  any  steps  to  carry  out  this  intention, 
an  opportunity  occurred  of  entering  into  busi 
ness  with  another  person,  with  whom  he  united 
in  buying  out  a  stock  of  goods  of  a  small  retail 
store  in  New  Salem.  His  friend,  Mr.  "W.  G. 
Greene,  became  security  for  the  payment  of  the 
goods,  which  were  purchased  on  credit.  The 
partner  proving  worthless  both  in  business  and 
character,  the  enterprise  entirely  failed  of  suc 
cess,  and  Mr.  Greene  was  obliged  to  pay  a  large 
part  of  the  indebtedness  of  the  concern.  The 
debt  thus  contracted  to  Greene,  which  Mr.  Lin- 


92  THE    FOREST    BOY. 

coin  humorously  called  "  the  national  debt,"  he 
paid  many  years  afterward  to  the  uttermost 
penny,  though  his  partner  was  equally  respon 
sible,  and  though  the  creditor  had  moved  into 
Tennessee,  and  had  well-nigh  forgotten  it, 

Mr.  Lincoln  being  again  out  of  business, 
since,  as  he  remarked,  his  store  was  "winked 
out,"  he  gladly  accepted  from  President  Jack 
son  an  appointment  as  postmaster  of  a  small 
office  at  New  Salem,  The  income  did  not  pay 
for  constant  attention  to  the  office,  so  when  he 
went  out  on  other  business  he  took  the  mail  in 
the  top  of  his  hat.  Persons  inquiring  for  let 
ters  or  papers  hunted  up  the  postmaster,  who 
answered  their  inquiries  after  taking  off  his  hat 
and  turning  over  its  contents.  The  greatest 
benefit  he  derived  from  this  appointment  was 
the  privilege  of  reading  all  the  papers  taken 
in  the  vicinity,  which  were  probably  few  in 
number. 

But  the  office  was  the  occasion  of  a  beautiful 
illustration  of  his  honesty.  It  being  either  dis 
continued  or  removed  to  a  distant  place,  he 


THE   FOREST   BOY.  93 

squared  up  his  accounts  for  a  settlement  with 
the  government.  Many  years  afterward,  while 
sitting  in  a  law  office,  a  gentleman  called  and 
inquired  for  Abraham  Lincoln.  ?£I  am  the 
man,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  stepping  forward. 
The  gentleman  then  presented  the  government's 
bill  against  him.  For  a  moment  he  looked 
perplexed.  His  friends,  who  were  sitting  by, 
observing  this,  offered  to  lend  him  the  required 
sum.  He  made  no  reply,  but  his  countenance 
suddenly  lighted  up  with  a  happy  thought. 
He  went  to  his  bookcase  and  took  down  a  little 
trunk  containing  a  small  package  of  coin  wrap 
ped  in  a  cotton  rag.  "  How  much  is  your 
demand  ?  "  he  inquired  of  the  stranger.  "  Sev 
enteen  dollars,"  was  the  reply.  The  package 
was  put  into  his  hands  containing  just  that 
amount.  When  the  agent  of  the  Post-Office 
department  had  left,  Mr.  Lincoln  quietly  re 
marked  that  he  never  used  money  which  did 
not  belong  to  him.  During  much  of  the  time 
in  which  this  money  had  been  thus  laid  by  he 
had  been  very  poor,  and  the  temporary  use  of 


94:  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

it  would  have  been  a  great  relief;  but  he  had 
never  indulged  the  thought  of  touching  it. 

Again  looking  round  for  business,  an  unex 
pected  opening  was  presented.  John  Calhoun, 
then  surveyor  of  Sangamon  County,  being  much 
pressed  with  business,  offered  to  employ  Mr. 
Lincoln.  The  latter  knew  nothing  of  surveying, 
but  he  resolved  to  learn.  Borrowing  some 
books  of  Mr.  Calhoun,  he  bent  his  strong  will 
and  clear  intellect  to  the  work.  He  was  soon 
ready  to  begin,  and  received  from  his  employer 
the  business  near  New  Salem.  He  procured  a 
.compass  and  a  chain,  (or,  as  some  say,  a  grape 
vine  instead  of  a  chain,)  and  commenced  his 
new  employment. 

This  was  a  progressive  step  in  his  career. 
He  continued  in  the  business  more  than  twelve 
months,  sparing  no  pains  to  render  his  services 
profitable  to  his  employers  and  creditable  to 
himself,  and  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  knowing, 
many  years  afterward,  that  though  he  had  laid 
out  one  whole  township,  the  accuracy  of  his 
work  was  never  questioned. 


THE  FOKEST  BOY.  95 

His  engagements  as  a  surveyor  received  one 
unpleasant  interruption.  His  compass  and 
chain  were  taken  and  sold  for  a  debt  growing 
out  of  the  unfortunate  partnership  concern.  But 
they  fell  into  the  hands  of  a  friend,  who  quietly 
restored  them  to  him. 


96  THE  FOREST  BOY. 


CHAPTER    XL 

WINNING    HIS     WAY. 

MR.  LINCOLN  steadily  increased  in  the  favor  of 
the  people.  Those  who  saw  him  most  fre 
quently  were  most  deeply  impressed  with  his 
goodness  of  heart  and  greatness  of  mind.  His 
old  friend,  Offutt,  who  had  observed  him  closely 
in  his  store,  exclaimed  in  enthusiastic  admira 
tion,  "  Lincoln  knows  more  than  any  man  in 
the  United  States." 

The  governor  of  Indiana,  after  a  conversa 
tion  with  him,  was  astonished  at  his  under 
standing  and  the  extent  of  his  information,  and 
declared  that  the  young  man  had  talents  enough 
for  a  president  of  the  United  States. 

His  friend  Greene  was  so  impressed  with  his 
greatness,  that,  when  he  was  spending  a  college 
vacation  at  New  Salem,  he  took  the  occasion  to 
introduce  him  to  some  college "  friends,  among 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  97 

whom  was  Mr.  Kichard  Yates,  afterward  gov 
ernor  of  Illinois.  They  found  Lincoln  lying 
upon  his  back  on  a  cellar-door,  reading  a  news 
paper,  his  hands,  as  usual,  hard  with  the  toils  of 
labor,  and  his  face  blackened  by  exposure  to 
the  sun  and  wind.  The  college  boys  were 
doubtless  amused  that  their  friend  Greene  should 
esteem  such  a  man  one  of  the  New  Salem 
"  lions ;"  but  a  short  interview  led  them  fully  to 
accord  with  his  high  estimation.  Mr.  Lincoln 
entertained  the  visitors  by  quotations  from  a 
volume  of  Burns's  poems,  the  whole  of  which 
seemed  stored  in  his  memory,  and  surprised  them 
by  his  familiarity  with  Shakspeare  and  keen 
perception  of  his  beauties.  Greene  invited 
Lincoln  to  dine  with  him  in  company  with  the 
college  boys.  Feeling  awkward  at  the  table  in 
consequence  of  the  presence  of  those  to  whom 
his  modesty  attributed  great  superiority,  he  up 
set  his  bowl  of  bread  and  milk ;  but  his  friend, 
Mrs.  Greene,  playfully  diverted  the  attention  of 
the  company,  and  relieved  his  embarrassment. 
A  trait  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  character,  which  be- 


98  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

came  very  marked  in  subsequent  life,  began 
especially  to  attract  notice  at  this  time.  This 
was  his  readiness  to  devise  means  to  overcome 
great  and  unexpected  obstacles  in  the  way  of 
the  accomplishment  of  anything  which  he  had 
undertaken. 

He  was  one  day  in  the  Sangamon  River  try 
ing  to  float  a  flatboat  over  a  milldam.  With 
his  pantaloons  rolled  up  above  his  knees,  he 
jumped  into  the  shallow  water,  and,  putting  his 
shoulder  to  the  stern  of  the  boat,  pushed  its 
prow  over  the  dam.  Here  it  struck  fast,  being 
partially  filled  with  water,  and  consequently  too 
heavy  for  even  his  great  strength.  Bailing  it 
out  was  the  most  apparent  way  of  relieving  the 
difficulty,  but  this  would  take  much  time  and 
labor.  Mr.  Lincoln  seized  an  auger,  which  was 
at  hand,  and  bored  a  hole  in  that  part  of  the 
bottom  which  projected  over  the  dam,  thus  let 
ting  the  water  run  out ;  then,  plugging  up  the 
hole,  he  easily  pushed  the  boat  into  the  river 
below  the  falls,  and  continued  his  voyage. 

Mr.    Lincoln   was    one   day    in    Springfield 


THE  FOEEST  BOY.  99 

attending  a  book  auction,  when  his  attention 
was  arrested  by  a  copy  of  Blackstone.  He  im 
mediately  bought  it,  and  carried  it  home  with 
much  the  same  feelings  which  he  had  in  his 
boyhood  on  finding  a  copy  of  the  Life  of  Wash 
ington.  His  friends  had,  in  a  complimentary 
manner,  often  said,  "  Lincoln,  you  would  make 
a  capital  lawyer."  He  doubtless  felt  that  God 
had  given  him  a  power  of  occupying  a  public 
position  ;  and,  thus  moved,  he  read  this  volume 
with  absorbing  interest.  But  a  new  opening 
for  promotion  soon  occurred.  Two  years  had 
passed  away  since  his  failure  of  an  election  to 
the  state  legislature.  In  1834  he  was  again 
nominated  to  represent  Sangamon  County.  The 
custom  in  the  West  requiring  candidates  to 
lecture  among  the  people  on  questions  of  public 
interest,  he  bought  a  horse  to  enable  him  to 
visit  the  several  towns  and  villages  of  his  dis 
trict  for  this  purpose,  selling  his  compass  and 
chain  to  procure  the  necessary  funds.  When 
the  canvass  was  over  he  sold  his  horse  and  pur 
chased  his  instruments  again.  This  time  his 


100  THE  FOKEST   BOY. 

nomination  was  a  success,  resulting  in  his  elec 
tion  by  an  unusually  large  majority. 

During  these  electioneering  tours  Mr.  Lin 
coln  renewed  his  acquaintance  with  Mr.  John 
T.  Stuart,  a  lawyer  of  large  practice  in  Spring 
field,  who  had  been  with  him  in  the  Black 
Hawk  war.  Mr.  Stuart  was  confirmed  in  his 
previous  conviction  that  Mr.  Lincoln  was  a  re 
markable  young  man,  and  he  advised  him  to 
study  law,  offering  to  lend  him  books  for  this 
purpose.  By  this  encouragement  his  earlier 
resolutions  in  the  same  direction  were  strength 
ened,  and  he  walked  to  Springfield,  a  distance 
of  twenty- two  miles,  obtained  "  a  back-load  "  of 
books,  and  returned  the  same  day  to  New 
Salem. 

He  now  alternated  between  surveying  and 
studying,  doing  just  enough  of  the  former  to 
keep  himself  economically  fed  and  clothed. 
His  favorite  place  of  study  was  under  an  oak  on 
a  hillside,  where  he  had  "  subdued  "  Kirkham's 
grammar.  Here,  lying  on  the  ground,  only 
changing  his  position  to  keep  in  the  shade,  he 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  101 

became  so  absorbed  in  the  great  principles  *  of 
the  law  that  he  was  in  a  measure,  lost  to  the 
common  affairs  of  life.  In  fact,  tliQ'se'>  peiso*ns 
who  did  not  understand  his  character  called 
him  partially  insane.  He  cared  little  for  this, 
and  still  less  for  the  ordinary  social  enjoyments 
of  life,  of  which  he  now  mostly  denied  himself, 
as  he  mastered,  one  after  another,  the  founda 
tion  truths  of  his  chosen  profession. 

When  the  time  came  for  the  commencement 
of  the  legislature,  Mr.  Lincoln  took  his  personal 
effects  upon  his  shoulders  and  walked  to  Yan- 
dalia,  the  capital  of  the  state,  a  distance  of  one 
hundred  miles. 

He  was  the  youngest  member  of  the  House, 
with  one  exception,  and,  of  course,  entirely 
unacquainted  with  the  forms  of  law-making. 
He  therefore  wisely  made  no  speeches,  but 
observed  closely  the  details  of  the  daily  busi 
ness.  A  friend  of  this  period  says  that  his 
modesty  was  seen  and  acknowledged  by  all. 
This  attractive  quality  lessened  the  unfavora 
ble  impression  made  upon  strangers  by  his 
7 


102  THE   FOKEST  BOY. 

person  and  manner.  His  dress  was  "  Kentucky 
jeari,^  "made  in  the  style  of  the  times,  and, 
however  *  unpretending,  was  a  great  improve 
ment  over  his  apparel  of  any  former  occasion. 

When  the  session  was  over  he  walked  back 
to  New  Salem  and  resumed  his  studies  and 
surveying. 

In  1836  he  was  again  a  candidate  for  the 
legislature,  and  during  the  canvass  became 
more  prominently  before  the  people.  He 
wrote  for  the  political  papers  statements  of  his 
sentiments,  and  held  public  discussions  with  his 
opponents.  One  of  these  is  remembered  for 
the  successful  manner  with  which  he  conducted 
it,  securing  victory  from  seeming  defeat.  Mr. 
Lincoln  was  associated  on  the  occasion  with  an 
able  friend,  who  was  to  take  an  equal  share  011 
his  side  of  the  discussion.  This  friend  had 
spoken,  and  been  fiercely  assailed  in  reply  by 
a  keen  opponent.  The  friend,  chafing  under 
the  attack,  desired  to  repel  it  immediately. 
But  it  was  Mr.  Lincoln's  turn,  and  he,  feeling 
the  full  inspiration  of  the  occasion,  could  not 


THE   FOREST  BOY.  103 

give  way.  He  ascended  the  platform,  and 
commenced  in  a  slow,  argumentative  manner. 
His  friends  at  first  appeared  anxious,  and  his 
opponents  retained  briefly  the  air  of  triumph 
inspired  by  the  last  speaker ;  but  Mr.  Lincoln 
gradually  showed  the  weakness  of  his  antago 
nist's  positions  by  strong  arguments,  plainly 
and  forcibly  presented,  and  won  the  favorable 
convictions  of  the  audience.  Having  exposed 
his  false  reasoning,  he  heaped  contempt  upon 
it  by  wit  and  ridicule,  his  tall  figure  becoming 
erect  as  he  proceeded,  while  his  countenance 
lost  its  habitually  sad  expression,  and  his  eye 
its  mildness,  as  the  fire  of  eloquence  flashed 
from  every  feature  of  his  face.  The  audience 
interrupted  him  by  frequent  and  loud  applause. 
His  triumph  was  complete,  and  his  reputation 
was  greatly  increased  as  one  of  the  ablest 
debaters  of  the  state. 

On  his  return  to  the  legislature  he  took  a 
more  active  part  than  during  its  previous  term. 
The  antislavery  question  was  just  beginning 
seriously  to  divide  the  two  great  political  par- 


104  THE    FOREST    BOY. 

ties.  Neither  of  them  was  willing  to  own  the 
hated  name  of  abolitionist,  and  both  sought  the 
favor  of  the  slaveholders. 

A  set  of  resolutions  strongly  in  this  spirit 
passed  the  legislature,  with  only  two  opposing 
votes,  those  of  Abraham  Lincoln  and  Dan 
Stone,  both  of  Sangamon  County.  They 
entered  upon  the  journal  of  the  House  their 
protest  against  them,  written,  it  is  understood, 
by  the  former.  It  was  his  first  antislavery 
record,  and  a  good  one.  It  stated  moderately 
his  views  on  the  peculiar  institution,  and  the 
questions  connected  with  it.  They  were,  as  far 
as  they  went,  such  as  he  avowed  when  elected 
President,  and  as  he  maintained  through  life. 
It  required  moral  courage  to  publish  them  at 
this  time  and  in  this  manner,  for  they  were 
unpopular  even  among  his  own  political  friends. 

"When  the  session  was  over  he  walked  home, 
in  company  with  the  other  representatives 
from  Sangamon  County.  The  whole  delega 
tion,  nine  in  number,  were  remarkably  tall, 
none  of  them  being  less  than  six  feet.  The 


THE    FOREST   BOY.  105 

wits  called  them  "  the  long  nine."  The  com 
pany  traveled  on  horseback,  except  Mr.  Lin 
coln,  who  kept  up  with  them  on  foot.  His 
dress  was  thin,  and  he  complained  on  the  way 
of  being  cold.  One  of  his  companions,  looking 
roguishly  at  his  large  feet,  drily  replied,  "  Of 
course  you  must  be  cold,  there's  so  much  of  you 
on  the  ground."  Mr.  Lincoln  enjoyed  the  joke, 
and  laughed  as  heartily  as  any  of  them.  He 
was  ever  ready,  with  pleasant  story  or  humor 
ous  remark,  to  relieve  the  weariness  of  the  way. 
Mr.  Lincoln  was  again  out  of  business,  but  he 
stood  in  a  position  in  advance  of  any  he  had 
before  occupied.  He  had  obtained  a  fair 
knowledge  of  the  common  branches  of  an  En 
glish  education ;  he  had  read  several  works  on 
scientific  subjects,  giving  special  attention  to 
geology  ;  he  had  become  known  through  the 
state  as  a  popular  debater,  and  an  able  poli 
tician  ;  and  he  was  fairly  initiated  into  the 
forms  of  practical  legislation.  He  was  there 
fore  prepared  for  the  wider  sphere  upon  which 
he  was  about  to  enter, 


106  THE    FOREST   BOY. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

"RIDING    THE    CIRCUIT." 

MR.  LINCOLN  became  a  lawyer  in  1836,  and  the 
following  spring  was  invited  by  his  old  friend, 
Major  Stuart,  of  Springfield,  to  enter  his  office 
as  a  partner.  This  was  an  unexpected  and 
pleasant  compliment.  He  was  without  experi 
ence,  and  without  extensive  reading  in  the  law, 
and  only  twenty-eight  years  of  age.  Major 
Stuart  was  favorably  known  as  a  lawyer,  and 
was  established  in  a  large  practice. 

Mr.  Lincoln  removed  to  Springfield,  and 
became  a  member  of  the  family  of  a  gentleman 
of  high  social  standing.  The  people  of  Spring 
field  remembered  their  indebtedness  to  his 
influence  in  the  removal  of  the  state  capital  to 
their  city,  aud  expressed  their  gratitude  by 
electing  him  to  the  legislature  of  1838-40.  He 
was  again  elected  in  1840,  and,  at  the  end  of 


THE    FOREST    BOY.  107 

the  legislative  term,  declined  further  honors  of 
this  kind. 

During  his  eight  years  of  membership  of  the 
legislature  he  rose  constantly  in  influence, 
commanding  the  entire  vote  of  his  party 
for  the  speakership.  He  was,  in  fact,  recog 
nized  as  their  leader  in  the  House.  His 
speeches  were  strong  in  argument,  clear  in 
statement,  striking,  and  often  beautiful  in  illus 
tration.  His  pleasantry  and  keen  wit  fixed  the 
attention  of  the  most  indifferent.  "When  occa 
sion  required,  he  could  silence  an  opponent  by 
sarcasm  and  ridicule.  The  following  is  an 
illustration :  A  certain  member  of  the  House 
constantly  indulged  in  quibbling  objections  to 
proposed  measures.  He  saw  a  violation  of  the 
Constitution  of  the  state  where  others  saw  only 
conformity  to  its  requirements.  Mr.  Lincoln's 
friends  said  to  him,  "  Lincoln,  you  can  silence 
that  man,  and  you  ought  to  do  it."  "I'll  try," 
he  replied,  his  countenance  lighting  with  a 
humorous  expression.  Quite  soon  there  was  an 
ppportunity.  Mr.  Lincoln  had  proposed  a  bill 


108  THE    FOREST    BOY. 

which  the  watchful  member  denounced  as  un 
constitutional.  Mr.  Lincoln  arose  to  reply, 
and,  with  a  laughable  kind  of  gravity,  said  that 
the  gentleman  reminded  him  of  a  man  in  his 
neighborhood,  whom  he  described  in  such  a 
manner  that  all  eyes  were  turned  toward  his 
opponent  as  the  person  intended.  "  Now  this 
man,"  he  continued,  "  while  dressing  one  morn 
ing,  looked  out  of  the  window  and  saw  a  squir 
rel,  as  he  thought,  on  the  limb  of  a  tree  near 
the  house.  Seizing  his  rifle,  he  fired  at  it,  but, 
to  his  astonishment,  the  saucy  animal  was 
neither  hit  nor  frightened.  He  fired  again  and 
again,  but  there  the  squirrel  remained  with 
provoking  coolness.  The  man,  looking  at  his 
gun  and  then  at  the  tree,  exclaimed  to  his 
son,  who  stood  at  his  side,  <  Boy,  what's  the 
matter  with  my  gun  that  I  can't  shoot  that 
squirrel  ? ' 

"  '  Don't  see  any  squirrel,'  replied  the  boy. 

"  '  Don't  see  any  squirrel !  there  he  sits  half 
up  that  tree  ! ' 

" (  No,  father,'  replied  the  son,  looking  into 


THE   FOREST   BOY.  109 

his  father's  face,  '  there  aint  any  squirrel ;  it's  a 
louse  on  your  eyebrow  that  you  see.' ' 

The  members  enjoyed  a  hearty  laugh  at  the 
offender's  expense,  and  he  troubled  them  no 
more. 

When  not  in  the  legislature,  Mr.  Lincoln 
was  pursuing  his  studies  and  practice,  and  soon 
became  known  as  a  successful  pleader.  He 
delighted  to  advocate  the  case  of  those  whom 
he  knew  to  be  wronged,  but  would  not  defend 
the  cause  of  the  guilty.  If  he  discovered,  in 
the  course  of  the  trial,  that  he  was  on  the  wrong 
side,  he  lost  all  interest,  and  ceased  to  make  any 
exertion. 

Once,  while  engaged  with  an  associate  in  a 
prosecution,  he  became  satisfied  that  their 
client's  cause  was  not  a  good  one,  and  he 
refused  to  make  the  plea.  His  associate,  less 
scrupulous,  persisted,  and  obtained  a  decision 
in  their  favor.  The  fee  was  nine  hundred  dol 
lars,  half  of  which  was  tendered  to  Mr.  Lincoln, 
but  he  refused  to  accept  a  single  cent  of  it. 

His  honesty  was  strongly  illustrated  by  the 


110  THE   FOREST  BOY. 

way  he  kept  ids  accounts  with  his  law  partner. 
When  he  had  taken  a  fee  in  his  absence,  he  put 
one  half  of  it  into  his  own  pocket,  and  folded 
up  the  other  half,  putting  it  away  carefully  by 
itself,  labeled  "  Billy,"  the  name  by  which  he 
familiarly  addressed  him.  One  day  his  partner 
asked  him  why  he  did  not  make  a  record  of  the 
amount  and  for  the  time  use  the  whole.  "  Be 
cause,"  replied  Mr.  Lincoln,  "  I  promised  my 
mother  never  to  use  money  belonging  to  another 
person." 

He  had  another  singular  habit  as  a  lawyer. 
Having  studied  both  sides  of  the  case  he  was 
managing,  when  he  stood  up  in  court  to  defend 
it,  he  presented  with  perfect  fairness  all  that 
could  be  said  against  as  well  as  for  his  position. 
When,  therefore,  his  opponent  rose  to  speak, 
he  found,  to  his  great  embarrassment,  his  argu 
ments  already  anticipated  and  answered. 

This  fairness,  together  with  his  good-nature 
and  aptness  at  story  telling,  made  him  a  favorite 
among  all  the  men  of  his  profession.  It  was 
the  practice  of  the  lawyers  to  follow  the  judge 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  Ill 

through  the  district  he  traveled  to  attend  the 
courts,  they  going  on  horseback  or  in  "  gigs." 
This  they  called  "  riding  the  circuit."  They 
put  up  together  at  the  country  taverns,  and  ex 
pected  a  merry  time  when  Mr.  Lincoln  appeared 
among  them.  We  cannot  say  that  on  such 
occasions  he  always  told  such  stories  as  the 
good  and  pure  could  fully  approve.  Abraham 
Lincoln  learned,  as  all  in  similar  circumstances 
will  learn,  that  "  evil  communications  corrupt 
good  manners ; "  and  he  was  quick  to  follow 
the  better  way  when  favored  with  the  example 
of  those  of  higher  culture  and  stricter  morals. 

In  the  early  part  of  his  career  as  a  lawyer 
he  was  engaged  in  a  case  which  caused  much 
amusement,  and  showed  his  aptness  in  putting 
the  truth  in  Hie  most  striking  light.  There 
were  two  men  of  one  neighborhood  each  of 
whom  owned  a  mare  and  its  colt.  The  colts 
resembled  each  other  in  a  very  remarkable 
manner,  and,  having  both  strayed  away,  it  was 
natural  that,  on  the  return  of  one  only,  each 
owner  should  claim  it  as  his  animal.  Thirty- 


112  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

* 

four  men  testified  on  the  side  of  one  claimant, 
and  thirty  were  equally  confident  in  giving  their 
testimony  for  the  other.  All  the  witnesses  were 
good  and  true  men,  and  all  had  known  the  colts 
well.  Thus  puzzled,  they  very  sensibly  agreed 
to  leave  the  decision  to  the  mothers  of  the  colts. 
On  an  appointed  day  the  mares  were  brought 
to  a  public  place,  and  a  large  company  assem 
bled  to  witness  the  decision.  The  colt  was 
brought  forward  with  the  mare  it  had  met  in 
a  pasture  when  it  returned,  and  with  which  it 
had  since  been  living  on  familiar  terms,  not 
having  during  this  time  seen  the  other  one; 
the  other  mare  was  then  introduced  to  the 
inclosure,  and  instantly  the  colt  sprang  to  her 
side,  with  earnest  demonstrations  of  joy.  No 
efforts  could  cause  it  to  express  a  different 
choice,  or  to  hesitate  in  its  preference.  Nature 
had  spoken,  and  all  were  satisfied  except  the 
selfish  claimant  on  the  other  side ;  he  appealed 
to  the  law. 

Mr.  Lincoln,   in   arguing   the  case  for  the 
defendant,  made  the  following  ingenious  state- 


THE    FOREST  BOY.  113 

ment :  "  Here,  gentlemen,"  he  said,  "  is  a  case 
concerning  which  a  large  number  of  honest 
men  differ.  Thirty-four  men  are  against  my 
client,  while  on  his  side  are  thirty  men  and  the 
conduct  of  the  colt.  You  may  not  feel  sure 
which  is  right,  but  you  must  decide  in  favor  of 
that  side  which  you  think  is  most  likely  to  be 
right.  Now,  gentlemen,  on  which  side  would 
you  be  willing  to  bet  ?  on  which  most  readily 
risk  a  picayune?  The  side  on  which  you 
would  risk  a  picayune  is  the  side  in  favor  of 
which  you  must  give  your  decision." 

The  jury  were  plain  men,  and  this  was  an 
easy  test  which  aided  them  in  deciding  the 
case,  and  they  gave  it  at  once  to  Mr.  Lincoln's 
client. 


114:  THE   FOEEST  BOY. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  KESCUE. 

WHILE  Mr.  Lincoln  was  studying  law  he  found 
an  occasional  home  in  the  cabin  of  a  man 
whose  name  was  Armstrong,  the  same  person 
whom  the  Clary's  Grove  boys  had  chosen  to  lay 
him  upon  his  back  in  a  wrestling  match  when 
he  first  came  to  New  Salem.  It  will  be  recol 
lected  that  Armstrong  had  found  more  than  his 
equal  in  fair  play ;  but  he  begged  Lincoln  to 
call  it  "  a  drawn  game,"  and  was  ever  after  his 
fast  friend. 

Many  years  had  passed  away,  and  Armstrong 
had  died,  leaving  his  widow  and  children  de 
pendent  mainly  upon  his  eldest  son.  An  inci 
dent  in  connection  with  this  son  gave  occasion 
for  Mr.  Lincoln  to  show  his  characteristic  ability 
and  goodness.  The  story  is  thus  told  by  one 
witnessing  most  of  the  circumstances :  "  A 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  115 

young  man  had  been  killed  in  a  riotous  and 
confused  fight  in  the  night  time  at  a  camp- 
meeting,  and  one  of  his  associates  stated  that 
the  death  wound  was  inflicted  by  young  Arm 
strong.  A  preliminary  examination  was  gone 
into,  at  which  the  accuser  testified  so  positively, 
that  there  seemed  no  doubt  of  the  guilt  of  the 
prisoner,  and  therefore  he  was  held  for  trial. 
As  is  too  often  the  case,  the  bloody  act  caused 
an  undue  degree  of  excitement  in  the  public 
mind.  Every  improper  incident  in  the  life  of 
the  prisoner,  each  act  which  bore  the  least 
semblance  to  rowdyism,  each  schoolboy  quarrel, 
was  suddenly  remembered  and  magnified,  until 
they  pictured  him  as  a  fiend  of  the  most  horri 
ble  hue.  As  these  rumors  spread  abroad  they 
were  received  as  gospel  truth,  and  a  feverish 
desire  for  vengeance  seized  upon  the  infatuated 
populace,  while  only  prison  bars  prevented  a 
horrible  death  at  the  hands  of  a  mob. 

"The  events  were  heralded  in  the  county 
papers,  painted  in  the  highest  colors,  accom 
panied  by  rejoicings  over  the  certainty  of 


116  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

punishment  being  meted  out  to  the  guilty 
party. 

"  The  prisoner,  overwhelmed  by  the  circum 
stances  under  which  he  found  himself  placed, 
fell  into  a  melancholy  condition  bordering  on 
despair,  and  the  widowed  mother,  looking 
through  her  tears,  saw  no  cause  for  hope  from 
earthly  aid. 

"  At  this  juncture  the  widow  received  a  letter 
from  Mr.  Lincoln,  volunteering  his  service  in 
an  effort  to  save  the  youth  from  the  impending 
stroke.  Gladly  was  his  aid  accepted,  although 
it  seemed  impossible  for  even  his  sagacity  to 
prevail  in  such  a  desperate  case  ;  but  the  heart 
of  the  attorney  was  in  his  work,  and  he  set 
about  it  with  a  will  that  knew  no  such  word  as 
fail.  Feeling  that  the  poisoned  condition  of 
the  public  mind  was  such  as  to  preclude  the 
possibility  of  impanneling  an  impartial  jury  in 
the  court  having  jurisdiction,  he  procured  a 
change  of  place  and  a  postponement  of  the 
trial.  He  then  went  studiously  to  work,  un 
raveling  the  history  of  the  case,  and  satisfied 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  117 

himself  that  his  client  was  a  victim  of  malice, 
and  that  the  statements  of  the  accuser  were  a 
tissue  of  falsehoods. 

"  When  the  trial  was  called  on,  the  prisoner, 
pale  and  emaciated,  with  hopelessness  written 
on  every  feature,  and  accompanied  by  his  half- 
hoping,  half-despairing  mother,  whose  only  hope 
was  in  a  mother's  belief  of  her  son's  innocence, 
in  the  justice  of  the  God  she  worshiped,  and 
in  the  noble  counsel,  who,  without  hope  of  fee 
or  reward  upon  earth,  had  undertaken  the 
cause,  took  his  seat  in  the  prisoner's  box,  and 
with  a  stony  firmness,  listened  to  tlje  reading 
of  the  indictment.  Lincoln  sat  quietly  by, 
while  the  large  auditory  looked  on  him  as 
though  wondering  what  he  could  say  in  de 
fense  of  one  whose  guilt  they  regarded  as 
certain. 

"  The  examination  of  witnesses  for  the  state 
was  begun,  and  a  well- arranged  mass  of  evi 
dence,  circumstantial  and  positive,  was  intro 
duced,  which  seemed  to  inclose  the  prisoner 

beyond  the  possibility  of  escape.     The  counsel 

8 


118  THE  FOKEST  BOY. 

for  the  defense  propounded  but  few  questions, 
and  those  of  a  character  which  excited  no  un 
easiness  on  the  part  of  the  opposing  lawyer, 
merely,  in  most  cases,  requiring  the  main  wit 
nesses  to  be  definite  as  to  the  time  and  place. 
When  the  evidence  against  the  prisoner  was 
ended,  Lincoln  introduced  a  few  witnesses  to 
remove  some  wrong  impressions  in  regard  to 
the  previous  character  of  Armstrong,  who, 
though  somewhat  rowdyish,  had  never  been 
known  to  commit  a  vicious  act ;  to  show  also 
that  a  greater  degree  of  ill  feeling  existed  be 
tween  the  prisoner  and  his  accuser,  than  be 
tween  the  prisoner  and  the  person  who  was 
killed. 

"  The  prosecutor  felt  that  the  case  was  a  clear 
one,  and  his  opening  speech  was  brief  and  for 
mal.  Lincoln  arose,  while  a  deathly  silence 
pervaded  the  vast  audience,  and,  in  a  clear  and 
moderate  tone,  began  his  argument.  Slowly 
and  carefully  he  reviewed  the  testimony,  point 
ing  out  the  hitherto  unobserved  discrepancies 
in  the  statements  of  the  principal  witness. 


THE   FOBEST   BOY.  119 

That  which  seemed  plain  and  plausible  he 
made  appear  as  crooked  as  a  serpent's  path. 
The  witness  had  said  that  the  affair  took  place 
at  a  certain  hour  in  the  evening,  and  that  by 
the  aid  of  a  brightly  shining  moon,  he  saw  the 
prisoner  inflict  the  death-blow  by  a  slnng-shot. 
Mr.  Lincoln  showed  that  at  the  hour  referred 
to  the  moon  had  not  yet  appeared  above  the 
horizon,  and  consequently  the  whole  tale  was  a 
fabrication. 

"An  almost  instantaneous  change  seemed  to 
have  been  wrought  in  the  minds  of  his  auditors, 
and  the  verdict  of  ( not  guilty '  was  at  the  end 
of  every  tongue.  But  the  advocate  was  not 

content    with    this    intellectual    achievement. 

#• 

His  whole  being  had  for  months  been  bound 
up  in  this  work  of  gratitude  and  mercy ;  and  as 
the  lava  of  the  overcharged  crater  bursts  from 
its  imprisonment,  so  great  thoughts  and  burn 
ing  words  leaped  forth  from  the  soul  of  the 
eloquent  Lincoln.  He  drew  a  picture  of  the 
perjurer  so  horrid  and  ghastly  that  the  accuser 
could  sit  under  it  no  longer,  but  reeled  and 


120  THE  FOKEST  BOY. 

staggered  from  the  court-room,  while  the  au 
dience  fancied  they  could  see  the  brand  upon 
his  brow.  Then,  in  words  of  thrilling  pathos, 
Lincoln  appealed  to  the  jurors,  as  the  fathers  of 
sons  who  might  become  fatherless,  and  hus 
bands  of  wives  who  might  be  widowed,  to  yield 
to  no  previous  impressions,  no  ill-founded  pre 
judice,  but  to  do  the  prisoner  justice;  and  as 
he  alluded  to  the  debt  of  gratitude  he  owed  to 
the  boy's  father,  tears  were  seen  to  fall  from 
many  eyes. 

"  It  was  near  night  when  he  concluded  by 
saying  that  if  justice  was  done,  as  he  believed 
it  would  be,  before  the  sun  should  set  it  would 
shine  upon  the  prisoner  a  free  man.  The  jury 
retired,  and  the  court  adjourned  for  the  day. 
Half  an  hour  had  not  elapsed  when,  as  the 
officers  of  the  court  and  the  volunteer  attorney 
sat  at  the  table  of  their  hotel,  a  messenger  an 
nounced  that  the  jury  had  returned  to  their 
seats.  All  repaired  immediately  to  the  court 
house,  and  while  the  prisoner  was  coming  from 
the  jail,  the  court-room  was  filled  to  overflow- 


THE   FOREST   BOY. 

ing  with  citizens  from  the  town.  When  the 
prisoner  and  his  mother  entered,  silence  reigned 
as  completely  as  if  the  house  had  been  empty. 
The  foreman  of  the  jury,  in  answer  to  the  usual 
inquiry  from  the  court,  delivered  the  verdict  of 
6  not  guilty.'  The  widow  dropped  into  the 
arms  of  her  son,  who  lifted  her  up,  and  told 
her  to  look  upon  him  as  before,  free  and  inno 
cent.  Then  with  the  words,  c  "Where  is  Mr. 
Lincoln  ? '  he  rushed  across  the  room  and 
grasped  the  hand  of  his  deliverer,  while  his 
heart  was  too  full  for  utterance.  Lincoln 
turned  his  eyes  toward  the  west,  where  the 
sun  was  still  lingering  in  view,  and  then  turn 
ing  to  the  youth,  said,  '  It  is  not  yet  sundown, 
and  you  are  free.' " 


122  THE  FOREST  BOY. 


CHAPTER   XIY. 

FURTHER   INCIDENTS   OF   "THE   CIRCUIT." 

THE  story  of  u  the  rescue  "  is  only  one  among 
many  evidences  of  Abraham  Lincoln's  kindness 
of  heart  during  his  career  as  a  lawyer.  Even 
the  sufferings  of  a  brute  excited  his  pity. 

He  was  once  riding  his  circuit  in  a  "  a  gig  " 
alone,  and  while  crossing  a  stream  skirted  with 
deep  mud  he  saw  a  pig  almost  buried  in  the 
mire.  The  poor  thing  was  nearly  exhausted, 
and  its  feeble  struggles  pleaded  touchingly  for 
assistance.  Mr.  Lincoln  looked  at  the  pig,  and 
then  at  the  new  suit  of  clothes  which  he  had 
just  begun  to  wear.  He  certainly  could  not 
help  the  pig  without  spoiling  the  clothes ;  be 
sides,  he  said  to  himself,  if  8  only  a  pig  !  Thus 
endeavoring  to  satisfy  his  sense  of  right,  he 
rode  on.  But  the  suffering  brute  was  still  be 
fore  him,  causing  a  most  unpleasant  burden  of 


THE  FOREST  Boy.  123 

mind.  When  he  had  rode  two  miles,  so  dissat 
isfied  did  he  feel  that  he  turned  back  to  the 
stream.  Tying  his  horse  to  a  tree,  taking  off 
his  coat,  boots,  and  stockings,  and  rolling  up  his 
pants,  he  gathered  rails  from  a  fence  in  the  vi 
cinity,  and  built  a  foot-road  to  the  pig.  He 
then  laid  hold  of  him  and  dragged  him  from 
his  perilous  situation,  much  to  the  disparage 
ment  of  his  new  pants.  The  pig  no  doubt 
grunted  his  thanks ;  but  his  deliverer  was  un 
generous  enough  to  himself  as  he  rode  on, 
pondering,  as  he  remarked  afterward,  upon 
"  the  philosophy  of  the  incident,"  to  refer  his 
benevolent  act  to  the  low  desire  of  getting  rid 
of  his  own  burden  of  mind ! 

When  Mr.  Lincoln  had  become  established  in 
his  law  practice,  and  had  attained  considerable 
popularity,  he  did  not  forget  his  humble  rela 
tions,  and  the  poor  among  his  acquaintance  of 
earlier  years.  He  often  walked  many  miles,  and 
neglected  more  distinguished  company,  to  visit 
such  friends. 

As  he  was   going  out  one  evening,  after  a 


124  THE   FOREST  BOY. 

hard  day's  work  in  court,  to  call  upon  an  old 
lady,  his  companions  tried  to  persuade  him  to 
remain  with  them,  urging  that  the  distance  was 
great,  that  he  was  weary,  and  that  they  desired 
his  company.  "  O,  I  must  go,"  he  replied  res 
olutely,  "  aunty's  heart  would  break  if  I  left 
town  without  calling  upon  her." 

Those  who  were  unfortunate  in  person  or 
purse  always  excited  Mr.  Lincoln's  sympathy. 
A  Mr.  Cogdal  became  embarrassed  in  business, 
and  having  employed  him  to  settle  up  his 
affairs,  gave  him,  at  the  close,  a  note  for  the 
amount  of  his  fee.  Not  long  after  Mr.  Cogdal 
was  blown  up  by  the  accidental  discharge  of 
some  gunpowder,  and  lost  the  use  of  his  arm. 
Thus  poor  and  crippled,  he  met  Mr.  Lincoln 
one  day,  who  inquired  kindly  after  his  welfare. 
Cogdal  replied,  "I  am  getting  along  poor 
enough,  and  I  have  been  thinking  about  that 
note."  Mr.  Lincoln  interrupted  him  by  taking 
the  note  from  his  pocket  and  saying,  as  he  put 
it  into  his  hand,  "  There,  think  no  more  about 
it."  Cogdal  was  about  to  decline  the  gener- 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  125 

ous  offer,  but  Mr.  Lincoln  walked  abruptly 
away. 

A  widow  of  a  revolutionary  soldier  came  into 
Mr.  Lincoln's  law  office  in  great  trouble.  She 
had  employed  a  pension  agent  to  obtain  her 
claim  against  the  government,  and  he  had 
charged  her  two  hundred  dollars  for  his  services. 
When,  on  careful  inquiry,  he  found  that  there 
could  be  no  doubt  about  her  statement^  he  was 
very  indignant.  Giving  the  woman  money 
enough  to  pay  her  stage-fare  in  returning  home 
to  a  neighboring  town,  he  commenced  a  suit 
against  the  dishonest  agent.  In  addressing  the 
jury,  to  whom  the  case  was  committed,  he  set 
forth  in  eloquent  words  the  poverty  of  the  aged 
widow,  and  the  debt  the  country  owed  to  those 
who,  like  her  husband,  had  fought  for  its  inde 
pendence.  The  case  was  decided  in  her  favor, 
and  Mr.  Lincoln  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  the 
agent  return  her  a  hundred  dollars. 

The  negroes  ever  found  in  Mr.  Lincoln,  even 
at  this  early  period  of  the  antislavery  move 
ment,  a  faithful  friend.  A  negro  mother  called 


126  THE   FOKEST  Boy. 

upon  him  in  great  anguish.  Her  story  was 
this :  She  and  her  family  were  brought  by  her 
master  from  Kentucky  into  Illinois,  and  set  free. 
Her  oldest  son,  upon  whom  she  was  dependent, 
had  gone  down  the  Mississippi  on  a  steamboat 
as  a  waiter.  On  his  arrival  at  New  Orleans  he 
unwisely  went  ashore,  and  was  arrested  and 
thrown  into  prison,  for  no  reason,  except  that 
he  was  a  free  negro  from  a  non-slaveholding 
state.  This  outrage  was  further  aggravated  by 
a  threatened  sale  into  slavery  to  pay  his  jail 
expenses.  The  feelings  of  Mr.  Lincoln  were 
aroused.  He  went  at  once  to  the  governor, 
to  inquire  if  he  could  render  any  official  aid  to 
the  young  man.  The  governor  replied  that  he 
was  sorry  to  say  that  he  could  do  nothing. 
The  powerful  passions  of  Mr.  Lincoln  lost  their 
usual  restraint,  and  found  expression  in  lan 
guage  he  seldom  used.  He  declared  he  would 
have  the  negro  back  or  have  a  twenty  years' 
agitation  in  Illinois  ;  the  people  should  be  stirred 
up  until  the  governor  was  invested  with  consti 
tutional  authority  in  such  matters. 


THE  FOKEST  BOY.  127 

But  it  was  well  for  the  young  colored  man 
that  he  was  not  compelled  to  wait  the  results  of 
a  twenty  years'  agitation.  Upon  a  sober  sec 
ond  thought,  Mr.  Lincoln  and  his  partner  made 
up  a  purse  and  sent  it  to  a  New  Orleans  cor 
respondent,  who  procured  the  negro's  release  and 
returned  him  to  his  mother. 

Defending  those  who  had  been  engaged  in 
helping  negroes  to  escape  from  their  oppressors 
was  a  very  unpopular  service,  not  only  in  Illi 
nois,  but  in  all  the  states.  Those  lawyers  espe 
cially  who  sought  office  at  the  hands  of  the 
politicians  kept  clear  of  so  ruinous  a  business. 
A  distinguished  lawyer  in  Mr.  Lincoln's  own 
neighborhood,  who  has  since  occupied  a  promi 
nent  place  before  the  country,  candidly  declared 
that  he  could  not  afford  such  benevolence.  But 
an  earnest  worker  on  "  the  underground  rail 
road  "  used  to  say  to  those  needing  such  aid, 
"  Go  to  Abraham  Lincoln.  He's  not  afraid  of 
an  unpopular  case.  Other  lawyers  may  refuse, 
but  if  he  is  at  home  he  will  help  you." 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  defending  a  man  who  was 


128  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

sued  for  fraud  in  delivering  to  a  purchaser  a 
number  of  sheep.  He  had  agreed  to  deliver 
those  of  a  certain  age  only,  but  was  accused 
of  shuffling  off  in  the  stipulated  number  many 
much  younger.  In  the  course  of  the  examina 
tion  Mr.  Lincoln  became  convinced  that  his  client 
had  actually  done  as  he  was  accused.  Instead 
of  further  attempts  to  prove  his  innocence,  he 
immediately  confined  his  efforts  to  ascertaining 
how  many  had  been  so  returned,  thus  determin 
ing  the  real  damage. 

At  another  time  he  was  conducting  a  pros 
ecution  against  a  railroad  company,  and  suc 
ceeded  in  getting  a  decision  in  favor  of  his 
client  for  the  amount  claimed,  after  the  de 
duction  of  a  certain  sum  which  he  had  agreed 
should  be  thrown  off.  When  the  judge  was 
about  to  make  the  final  settlement,  Mr.  Lincoln 
arose  and  remarked  that  his  opponents  had  not 
proved  all  that  could  be  proved  on  their  side, 
and  he  then  proceeded  to  argue  against  his  cli 
ent  for  a  further  deduction  due  in  equity,  and 
the  case  was  thus  settled. 


THE  FOKEST  BOY.  129 

Years  afterward,  when  the  lawyers  and 
judges  with  whom  he  was  associated  stood  up 
before  a  great  assembly  of  weeping  citizens  to 
pronounce  Mr.  Lincoln's  eulogy,  they  remem 
bered  these  rare  excellences,  and  spoke  of  him 
with  sincere  and  eloquent  words. 


130  THE  FOREST  Boy. 


CHAPTER  XY. 

AT     HIS     OWN    HOME. 

WE  have  followed  the  history  of  Mr.  Lincoln 
to  the  year  1842.  He  was  now  thirty-three 
years  of  age ;  he  was  well  established  in  his 
profession,  and  had  risen  from  poverty  to  an  in 
come  which  placed  him  at  least  in  circumstances 
of  independence.  He  had  earned  an  extensive 
reputation  as  a  lawyer,  a  politician,  and  public 
speaker.  Now,  perhaps  for  the  first  time,  he 
felt  that  his  position  would  warrant  him  in 
getting  a  home  of  his  own.  He  was  married  in 
November,  1842,  to  Miss  Mary  Todd,  of  Lex 
ington,  Ky.,  but  at  this  time  residing  in  Spring 
field.  His  nature  turned  fondly  to  the  domestic 
circle,  and  his  loving  heart  found  happiness 
around  his  own  hearthstone.  The  following 
letter  written  at  this  time  to  a  friend,  shows 
how  congenial  was  his  new  relation : 


THE   FOKEST  Boy.  131 

"  We  are  not  keeping  house,  but  boarding  at 
the  Globe  Tavern,  which  is  very  well  kept  now 
by  a  widow  of  the  name  of  Beck.  Our  rooms 
are  the  same  Dr.  Wallace  occupied  there,  and 
boarding  only  costs  four  dollars  a  week.  .  .  . 
I  must  heartily  wish  you  and  your  Fanny  will 
not  fail  to  come.  Just  let  us  know  the  time,  a 
week  in  advance,  and  we  will  have  a  room 
prepared  for  you,  and  we'll  all  be  merry  to 
gether  for  a  while." 

In  February  preceding  his  marriage  he  thus 
writes  to^ another  intimate  friend: 

"Yours    of  the   16th,  announcing  that  you 

and  Miss are  no  longer  twain,  but  one  flesh, 

reached  me  this  morning.  I  have  no  way  of  tell 
ing  you  how  much  happiness  I  wish  you  both, 
though  I  believe  you  both  can  conceive  it.  I  feel 
somewhat  jealous  of  both  of  you  now,  for  you  will 
be  so  exclusively  concerned  for  one  another 
that  I  shall  be  forgotten  entirely.  My  acquaint 
ance  with  Miss  —  -  was  too  short  for  me  to  rea 
sonably  hope  to  be  remembered  by  her ;  and  still 


132  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

I  am  sure  I  shall  not  soon  forget  her.  Try  if 
you  cannot  remind  her  of  that  debt  she  owes 
me,  and  be  sure  you.  do  not  interfere  to  prevent 
her  paying  it. 

"  I  regret  to  learn  that  you  have  resolved  not 
to  return  to  Illinois.  I  shall  be  very  lonesome 
without  you.  How  miserably  things  seem  to 
be  arranged  in  this  world!  If  we  have  no 
friends  we  have  no  pleasure;  and  if  we  have 
them  we  are  sure  to  lose  them,  and  to  be 
doubly  pained  by  the  loss.  I  did  hope  that  she 
and  you  would  make  your  home  here,  yet  I 
own  I  have  no  right  to  insist.  You  owe  obliga 
tions  to  her  ten  thousand  times  more  sacred 
than  you  can  owe  to  others,  and  in  that  light 
let  them  be  respected  and  observed.  It  is 
natural  that  you  should  desire  to  remain  with 
her  relations  and  friends.  As  to  friends,  she 
could  not  need  them  anywhere;  she  would 
have  them  in  abundance  here.  Give  my  kind 

regards  to  Mr. and  his  family,  particularly 

to  Miss  E. ;  also  to  your  mother,  brothers,  and 
sisters.  Ask  little  E.  D.  if  she  will  ride  to 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  133 

town  with  me  when  I  come  there  again.  And 
finally,  give  a  double  reciprocation  of  all  the 
love  she  sent  me.  Write  me  often,  and  believe 
me  yours  forever,  "  LINCOLN." 

This  playful  feeling  was  largely  manifested 
in  later  years  toward  his  family,  especially  when 
his  heart's  warm  affection  became  absorbed  in 
his  children.  These  were  four,  all  sons ;  Robert 
Todd,  who  has  become  known  to  the  country  as 
an  officer  in  its  service  under  General  Grant ; 
Edward,  who  died  in  infancy ;  William,  whose 
death  will  be  more  particularly  noticed  in 
another  chapter;  and  Thomas.  The  love  of 
Mr.  Lincoln  for  his  children  was  indulged  to 
weakness.  When  the  youngest  was  in  his  arms, 
and  before  he  had  received  a  name,  he  fondly 
called  him  "  Tadpole."  This  was  afterward 
shortened  to  "  Tad,"  and  by  that  name  he  has 
ever  been  known.  When  his  children  did 
wrong  his  chiding  seldom  assumed  a  greater 
severity  than  the  exclamation,  "  O,  you  break 

my  heart  when  you  act  like  this !  "     But  this 
9 


134  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

love  and  grief,  manifested  in  his  tone  and 
countenance,  were  powerful  in  causing  penitence 
and  reformation  in  the  erring  child. 

A  man  who  lived  in  Springfield  when  a  school 
boy,  at  an  early  period  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  family 
history,  gives  an  interesting  reminiscence  of  his 
parental  affection.  His  way  to  school  led  by 
Mr.  Lincoln's  door,  and  almost  every  fair  day 
he  saw  him  on  the  sidewalk  in  front  of  his 
house,  hatless  and  coatless,  and  with  shoes  of  t 
the  roughtest  kind,  dragging  his  little  one  to 
and  fro  in  a  child's  carriage.  His  hands  lay 
upon  his  back,  holding  the  carriage,  and  his 
head  and  shoulders  were  bent  forward  as  he 
strode  along,  seeming,  as  was  doubtless  the 
case,  to  be  revolving  in  his  mind  some  great 
subject.  The  school-boy  looked  on  with  interest, 
wondering  how  so  rough  a  man  happened  to 
live  in  so  fine  a  house. 

Mr.  Lincoln  loved  children  wherever  he  met 
them.  The  pastor,  at  this  period,  of  the  Meth 
odist  Episcopal  Church  in  Springfield,  says 
that  he  recollects  seeing  Mr.  Lincoln  stop,  as 


Dragging  the   Wagon. 


THE  FOREST  Boy.  137 

he  was  passing  the  parsonage,  and  toss  pennies 
to  his  children  who  were  playing  in  the  yard, 
seeming  to  enjoy  heartily  their  glee  in  picking 
them  up. 

It  was  quite  a  habit  with  Mr.  Lincoln  at  this 
time  to  be  lost  in  thought.  While  at  his  own 
table  he  would,  not  unfrequently,  seem  lost  to 
the  fact  that  the  food  was  going  into  his  mouth ; 
and,  when  his  current  of  thought  was  arrested, 
and  his  mind  came  back  to  his  situation,  he 
would  in  a  pleasant  manner  quote  a  familiar 
piece  of  poetry,  or  a  line  or  two  from  a  favorite 
author,  thus  making  a  good  retreat  from  his 
awkward  position. 

Sometimes  Mr.  Lincoln  passed  a  familiar 
friend  in  the  street  with  a  very  vacant  look 
of  recognition,  if  indeed  he  noticed  him  at  all. 
When  stopped  and  aroused  from  his  absorbing 
revery,  he  would -exclaim,  "  O,  excuse  me,  I 
have  been  thinking  !  "  He  wxmld  then  proceed 
to  unfold  a  train  of  close  thought  upon  some 
great  national  subject. 

Mr.    Lincoln    enjoyed   giving   his   family   a 


138  THE  FOE EST  BOY. 

pleasant  surprise,  and  he  entered  fully  into 
their  gladness  when  they  thus  surprised  him. 
Once,  while  he  was  for  a  considerable  time 
away  upon  his  circuit,  Mrs.  Lincoln  had  an 
important  alteration  made  in  their  house.  He 
enjoyed  telling  the  story  in  his  own  humorous 
way.  "  When  I  returned,"  he  said,  "  I  started 
from  the  depot  to  go  to  Mrs.  Lincoln's ;  but  I 
couldn't  find  it.  I  looked  around,  thinking  I 
knew  where  she  lived,  but  I  could  not  see  the 
place.  Finally  I  inquired  of  some  one,  c  Can 
you  tell  me  where  Mrs.  Lincoln  lives?  and  he 
pointed  the  house  out  to  me." 

Whenever  his  public  duties  allowed,  especially 
at  the  intervals  of  his  holding  office,  Mr.  Lincoln 
applied  his  mind  to  the  acquirement  of  some 
new  branch  of  knowledge.  As  he  became  more 
acquainted  with  men  of  learning,  and  as  he  was 
pushed  forward  by  the  people  into  places  of 
greater  responsibility,  he  felt  more  keenly  his 
want  of  early  educational  advantages.  Under 
this  prompting  he  no  doubt  became  better 
educated,  in  every  true  sense,  than  most  grad- 


THE  FOEEST  BOY.  139 

nates  of  college.  His  remarkable  memory, 
which  retained  in  detail  what  he  had  learned,  and 
his  clear  understanding  of  every  subject,  gave 
him  an  advantage  in  the  pursuit  of  knowledge 
over  the  mass  of  even  studious  men.  His 
privileges  were  small,  but  his  mental  capac 
ity  was  great.  He  did  not  come  before  the 
public,  even  in  his  earliest  offices,  an  ignorant 
man,  but  a  very  intelligent  one,  especially 
in  regard  to  the  duties  he  was  expected  to 
perform. 

In  his  early  professional  career  he  began  the 
study  of  geometry.  He  had  often  heard  in  dis 
cussions  the  word  "  demonstrate,"  and  he  determ 
ined  to  understand  it  fully.  He  persevered 
until  he  could  "  demonstrate  "  promptly  any 
proposition  of  the  first  six  books  of  Euclid.  He 
is  said  to  have  learned  mathematics  with  great 
facility,  and  he  might  perhaps  have  become  dis 
tinguished  in  this  branch  of  study  under  favor 
ing  circumstances. 

Mr.  Lincoln  early  manifested  a  mechanical 
taste.  He  not  only  built  log-cabins  and  flat- 


14:0  THE   FOREST   BOY. 

boats,  but  other  useful  things  requiring  more 
skill.  During  some  months  of  leisure,  after  he 
became  the  head  of  a  family,  he  diverted  himself 
in  endeavoring  to  invent  an  attachment  for  the 
bottom  of  the  steamboats  of  the  western  rivers, 
which  should  buoy  them  up  in  shoal  water.  He 
produced  something  which  he  thought  would 
answer.  It  was  a  kind  of  bellows,  which,  when 
fastened  to  the  bottom,  could  be  filled  with  air  or 
emptied  as  required.  By  this  means  he  thought 
that  the  vessel  might  avoid  the  danger  of  sud 
den  changes  in  the  depth  of  the  water.  A 
rough  model,  which  seemed  in  part  to  be 
"  whittled  "  out,  was  sent  to  Washington  and  a 
patent  obtained.  The  model  may  now  be  seen 
in  the  Patent  Office,  but  we  have  not  heard 
that  the  invention  was  ever  tried  upon  the  bot 
tom  of  a  steamboat. 

At  a  later  period  he  wrote  a  lecture  upon 
inventions,  giving  their  history  from  him  "  who 
was  the  father  of  all  such  as  handle  the  harp 
and  organ,"  and  from  him  "who  was  an  in 
structor  of  every  artificer  in  brass  and  iron  "  to 


THE    FOREST   BOY.  141 

the  latest  inventor  of  "  a  Yankee  notion."  The 
lecture  was  read  in  public  twice,  and  then 
followed  his  invention  into  obscurity. 

While  thus  busy  with  inventions  and  study, 
Mr.  Lincoln  did  not  entirely  neglect  more  se 
rious  concerns.  His  wife  being  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  he  sat  under  the  min 
istry  of  that  denomination.  He  contributed 
cheerfully,  and,  according  to  his  means,  lib 
erally,  to  the  institutions  and  benevolent  opera 
tions  of  the  Church.  His  law  partner,  with 
whom  he  commenced  business  in  1844,  says 
that  he  was  then  a  good  biblical  scholar. 

This  partner,  who  observed  Mr.  Lincoln 
closely  for  many  years,  says  of  his  character,  as 
he  appeared  to  him  at  this  time :  "  He  ap 
proached  more  nearly  the  angelic  nature  than 
any  person  I  had  ever  seen,  woman  not  ex- 
cepted.  He  had  an  angel-looking  eye  and  face ; 
yet  he  was  not  without  passions.  These  in 
Lincoln  were  powerful,  but  they  were  under 
the  control  of  a  giant  will.  He  had  a  towering 
ambition,  but  that  ambition  was  directed  for 


142  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

the  attainment  of  power  with  which  to  elevate 
man." 

We  shall  not  be  surprised,  after  these  glances 
at  Mr.  Lincoln  at  home  and  among  his  neigh 
bors,  and  after  having  their  estimate  of  him,  to 
follow  him  into  the  halls  of  Congress. 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  143 


CHAPTEK  XYI. 

IN  CONGRESS. 

SUCH  Lad  been  Mr.  Lincoln's  popularity  with 
his  party  that  he  felt  warranted  in  expecting 
the  nomination  to  Congress,  which  took  place 
soon  after  his  marriage.  But  the  convention  of 
his  county  to  appoint  delegates  to  the  district 
nominating  convention,  sent  him  a  delegate, 
under  instructions  to  vote  for  the  nomination 
of  another  man.  This  disappointment  he  bore 
with  his  accustomed  good-nature.  He  wrote  to 
a  friend,  saying :  "  In  getting  Baker  the  nomi 
nation,  I  shall  be  fixed  a  good  deal  like  a 
fellow  that  is  made  groomsman  to  the  man  who 
has  cut  him  out,  and  is  marrying  his  own  dear 
gal."  When  his  rival  was  nominated,  he  sup 
ported  him  with  sincerity  and  zeal. 

When  Henry  Clay  received  the  nomination 
of  the  Whig  party  as  their  candidate  for  the 


1M  THE   FOREST   BOY. 

presidency,  Mr.  Lincoln  entered  at  once  into  the 
efforts  for  his  success  in  Illinois.  He  lectured 
in  every  part  of  the  state,  and  did  the  party 
and  their  candidate  great  service  by  his  able 
statements  and  defense  of  their  principles.  He 
even  extended  his  itinerating  for  this  purpose 
into  Indiana.  He  had  indulged,  not  only  in 
the  sincere  conviction  that  Mr.  Clay  would 
make  a  better  president  than  his  rival,  but  in 
the  confident  hope  of  his  election.  When, 
therefore,  he  learned  that  the  people  of  the 
country  had  decided  otherwise,  he  retired  for  a 
time  from  the  political  field  with  feelings  of 
discouragement,  if  not  of  disgust.  His  estimate 
of  Mr.  Clay  had  been  formed  in  boyhood,  in 
part  at  least,  by  the  reading  of  his  life,  and  in 
his  imagination  the  great  orator  occupied  a 
position  of  dazzling  pre-eminence  among  com 
mon  statesmen. 

Mr.  Lincoln's  electioneering,  though  it  had 
failed  in  its  particular  objects,  secured  results 
which  he  least  sought :  it  greatly  increased  his 
own  reputation  as  a  sound  thinker,  a  true 


THE   FOREST   BOY.  145 

statesman,  and  an  able  and  fair  debater.  It 
also  incidentally  snowed  that  lie  was  a  man  of 
true  courage.  His  low  estimate  of  himself,  and 
his  uniform  readiness  to  give  way  to  the  claims 
of  others,  had  led  those  who  could  not  understand 
real  greatness  to  esteem  him  a  timid  man.  A 
personal  friend  of  Mr.  Lincoln  had  made  a 
speech  of  great  eloquence  and  power,  which 
excited  the  anger  of  the  opposing  party,  and 
some  of  them  declared  he  should  not  speak 
again.  Hearing  the  threats,  Mr.  Lincoln  and 
Col.  Baker,  afterward  the  distinguished  sena 
tor  from  Oregon,  took  their  seats  at  his  side 
the  next  time  he  addressed  the  people,  and 
when  he  had  finished,  quietly  walked  with  him 
to  his  hotel.  "  The  boys  "  knew  the  men,  and 
concluded  that  prudence  was  the  safest  policy. 

Mr.  Lincoln  subsequently  defended  Col. 
Baker  in  a  manner  amusing  as  well  as  heroic. 
Baker  was  speaking  with  great  enthusiasm, 
and,  in  the  midst  of  his  zeal,  uttered  some 
expressions  which  called  forth  the  wrath  of  his 
political  enemies.  "  Take  him  out !  "  shouted 


146  THE   FOREST  BOY. 

several  voices.  "Yes,  pull  him  down,"  re 
sponded  others,  and  the  mob  were  getting 
furious.  Instantly  Mr.  Lincoln  dropped,  ap 
parently  through  the  ceiling,  and  landed  at  the 
side  of  his  friend.  He  had  been  listening, 
unseen  by  the  audience,  at  an  old  scuttle, 
directly  over  the  speaker's  stand.  Hearing  the 
mutterings  of  the  storm  below,  he  appeared  to 
stem  its  rage.  "  Gentlemen,"-  said  he,  "  let  us 
not  disgrace  the  age  and  country  in  which  we 
live.  Baker  has  a  right  to  speak,  and  ought 
to  be  permitted  to  do  so.  I  am  here  to  protect 
him,  and  no  man  shall  take  him  from  this 
stand  if  I  can  prevent  it." 

The  calm  attitude  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  while 
uttering  these  words  gave  assurance  that  he 
was  in  earnest,  and  Col.  Baker  finished  without 
further  interruption. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  not  left  long  in  retirement 
after  the  Clay  campaign.  In  1847  he  received 
the  Whig  nomination  to  represent  "  the  Sanga- 
mon  district"  in  Congress.  He  had  desired 
this  honor,  but  was  too  noble-minded  to  stoop 


THE  FOREST  BOY. 

to  political  trickery  to  obtain  it.  He  was 
ambitious  to  secure  a  seat  in  the  national 
legislature,  but  his  desire  did  not  spring  from 
a  selfish  purpose,  nor  did  he  have  in  view  a 
low  end.  He  felt  conscious  of  the  noble 
powers  God  had  given  him,  and  wished  to  use 
them  for  the  good  of  men. 

His  election  proved  his  popularity.  He 
received  a  vote  much  larger  than  that  which 
his  party  commanded  at  other  times. 

He  took  his  seat  in  Congress  December  6, 
1847.  He  had  seen  enough  of  public  life  to 
be  able  to  feel  at  home  in  this  new  position. 
He  appeared  before  the  House  several  times 
during  the  winter  in  speeches  upon  questions 
in  debate.  There  were  great  men  there,  among 
whom  were  John  Quincy  Adams,  Kobert  "Win- 
throp,  Alexander  Stevens,  and  N.  P.  Banks. 
But  the  new  representative  from  the  West 
always  commanded  attention  when  he  spoke. 
He  was  master  of  his  subject  when  he  rose, 
and  he  uttered  his  thoughts  in  clear,  forcible 
language,  often  made  sparkling  by  a  sharp 


148  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

retort,  an  apt  illustration,  or  a  witty  compari 
son.  His  bearing  had  the  same  unaffected 
simplicity  that  it  did  among  the  people  of  the 
Illinois  log-cabins.  On  one  occasion,  wishing 
to  take  some  law  books  from  the  capitol  to  his 
boarding-house  for  the  purpose  of  examining  a 
subject  then  in  discussion,  he  put  them  in  a  silk 
handkerchief,  and  was  proceeding  to  tie  them 
up.  A  friend  observing  this,  remarked,  "Mr. 
Lincoln,  I  wouldn't  trouble  myself  in  that 
way ;  send  for  a  messenger-boy  to  carry  them." 

"O  no,"  replied  Mr.  Lincoln  coolly;  "I'll 
carry  them  myself,  and  then  I  shall  know  they 
are  there  in  time." 

So  having  tied  the  corners  of  the  handker 
chief,  he  run  his  cane  under  the  knot,  and, 
swinging  his  books  over  his  shoulder,  marched 
as  unconcernedly  through  the  streets  of  Wash 
ington  to  his  hotel  as  if  he  had  been  on  his 
western  law  circuit. 

While  in  Washington  Mr.  Lincoln  was  true 
to  the  antislavery  principles  he  so  nobly  de 
fended  in  the  Illinois  legislature,  and  in  his 


THE   FOREST   BOY.  149 

speeches  before  the  people.  He  voted  with 
such  men  as  John  Quincy  Adams,  Mr.  Wilmot, 
and  Joshua  R.  Giddings,  for  free  speech  on  the 
subject  of  slavery,  and  for  such  legislation  on 
that  vexed  matter  as  he  considered  constitu 
tional.  The  antislavery  views  and  measures  he 
then  adopted  appear  very  far  from  the  standard 
of  the  present  time,  but  he  was  in  advance  of 
the  majority  of  his  contemporaries  in  what  he 
was  willing  to  do  and  suffer  in  the  cause  of  the 
slave. 

When  Mr.  Lincoln's  term  of  service  in  Con 
gress  was  closed  he  made  a  brief  tour  in  Eew 
England,  delivering  a  few  political  speeches. 
He  then  returned  home,  and  continued  his 
public  addresses  in  his  own  state.  His  long 
absence  from  his  private  business  had  of  course 
injured  it,  and,  no  doubt,  continued  public 
service  would  have  been  agreeable  to  him. 
But  there  were  other  aspirants  of  his  own  party 
for  his  seat  in  Congress,  and  the  nomination 
was  given  to  one  of  them,  whose  defeat  at  the 
polls  proved  that  Mr.  Lincoln's  own  popularity, 


150  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

and  not  the  strength  of  the  party,  had  given 
him  the  previous  election.  Though  he  doubt 
less  believed  he  possessed  this  popularity,  he 
was  too  high-minded  to  press  his  own  claims 
when  other  friends  of  the  cause  were  put 
forward. 

After  General  Taylor  was  nominated  for  the 
presidency,  Mr.  Lincoln  spent  much  time  in 
advocating  his  claims  as  a  candidate ;  and  when 
the  general  had  become  president,  he  made 
some  efforts  through  friends  to  obtain  the  re 
sponsible  position  of  Commissioner  of  the 
General  Land  Office.  He  did  not,  however, 
get  the  appointment,  and  he  used  afterward  to 
make  himself  very  merry  over  the  effort  and  its 
failure. 


THE    FOREST   BOY.  151 


CHAPTEE  XVII. 

A   GREAT  CONTEST  COMMENCED. 

AFTER  leaving  Congress  Mr.  Lincoln  attended 
closely  to  his  law  business  for  nearly  five  years. 
The  following  incident,  which  occurred  near 
the  close  of  this  period,  that  is,  in  the  early 
part  of  1854,  illustrates  the  pleasing  fact  that 
the  bad  influences  at  Washington  had  not 
shaken  his  temperance  habits. 

The  Illinois  legislature  were  making  a  three 
days'  excursion  to  Chicago,  Mr.  Lincoln  being 
a  special  guest  of  the  party.  During  the  up 
ward  trip  the  party  were  sufficiently  noisy,  espe 
cially  at  the  stopping-places,  where  the  political 
leaders  were  called  out  in  brief  speeches ;  but 
the  feasting  and  toasting  by  the  knowing  ones 
of  Chicago,  who  desired  votes  from  the  legis 
lators  for  a  particular  law,  did  not  improve 

either  their  speech  or  manners.     On  the  return 
10 


152  THE   FOREST  BOY. 

trip  half  of  the  best  speakers  had  given  out 
"with  fatigue,  or  something  else,"  and  others 
were  filling  their  friends  with  shame  when  they 
attempted  to  speak.  From  the  commencement 
of  the  excursion  the  people  when  calling  for 
speakers  never  omitted  the  name  of  Lincoln, 
and  when  he  appeared  on  the  platform  the 
wildest  shouts  rent  the  air,  and  the  passengers 
in  the  cars  would  pass  along  the  remark, 
"  There,  hear  that !  Abe  has  been  telling  one 
of  his  good  yarns.  What  a  fellow  he  is  !  He 
carries  the  people  off  their  feet."  As  the  party 
approached  the  termination  of  their  excursion 
there  seemed  but  one  name  shouted  at  every 
stopping-place,  and  that  was  "  Lincoln  !  Lin 
coln  !  "  His  tall  form  was  more  erect,  and  his 
voice  rung  out  with  a  fuller,  clearer  tone  than 
at  the  beginning.  The  spirit  of  his  speeches 
may  be  learned  from  the  following  remarks 
dropped  by  one  of  the  members  to  his  wife : 
"  Abe  is  talking  temperance.  How  he  does 
lash  the  drinking  rascals !  ThSre  are  not  ten 
duly  sober  men  in  the  whole  crowd ;  not  one 


THE   FOKEST  BOY.  153 

but  himself  but  has  drank  some.  "No  persua 
sion,  no  influence  which  could  be  brought  to 
bear,  has  induced  him  to  touch  anything  but 
cold  water ;  and  while  all  the  rest  are  sick, 
tired  out,  and  wholly  used  up,  he  is  as  fresh 
as  when  we  started,  the  noblest  Illinoisian  of 
us  all." 

In  1854  a  law  was  made  by  Congress,  by 
which  slaves  might  be  permitted  to  go  into  the 
new  territories  if  the  voters  so  wished;  but 
the  slaveholders  and  their  friends  intended  to 
take  advantage  of  this  law,  and  force  sla 
very  upon  Kansas,  and  into  all  the  currents  of 
western  emigration.  This  act  aroused  Mr. 
Lincoln,  and  his  life-long  hatred  of  slavery 
burned  with  fresh  intensity.  He  had  been 
quiet,  wishing  perhaps  to  see  what  could  be 
done  by  those  who  were  determined  to  impose 
silence  upon  lawmakers  respecting  the  peculiar 
institution.  But  he  now  saw  that  when  the 
enemies  of  slavery  submitted  to  an  imposed 
silence,  the  slaveholders  were  the  most  active 
in  extending  it. 


154:  THE    FOREST   BOY. 

The  author  of  this  law,  which  so  moved  Mr. 
Lincoln,  was  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  a  senator 
from  his  own  state.  Mr.  Douglas  had  come  to 
Illinois  from  Vermont  when  a  young  man,  and 
first  met  Mr.  Lincoln  in  the  state  legislature. 
In  most  respects  they  were  extremely  unlike. 
Mr.  Lincoln  was  the  tallest  man  of  the  house, 
and  remarkable  for  bodily  strength.  Mr. 
Douglas  was  the  smallest  as  well  as  the  young 
est  member,  and  of  slight  frame.  Mr.  Lincoln 
was  modest,  distrustful  of  his  own  abilities,  and 
confident  only  when  he  had  tried  and  suc 
ceeded,  knowing  and  feeling  his  want  of  early 
education  and  lack  of  attractive  personal  pres 
ence.  Mr.  Douglas  won  his  way  by  an  easy 
address,  and  a  confidence  in  himself  which 
never  failed  him,  though  in  the  presence  of  the 
great,  or  in  competition  with  men  of  large  ex 
perience  and  high  position.  Mr.  Douglas  was 
made  a  judge  at  a  very  early  age,  and  when 
Mr.  Lincoln  entered  Congress  as  a  representa 
tive,  his  competitor  took  his  seat  in  the  more 
honorable  place  of  United  States  senator. 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  155 

Now,  when  the  two  were  about  to  come  before 
the  country  as  opponents  on  the  subject  of 
slavery,  Mr.  Douglas  had  become  the  strongest 
party  leader  of  the  West,  if  not  of  the  United 
States.  His  word  commanded  universal  atten 
tion,  and,  with  his  political  friends,  well-nigh 
universal  assent.  But  his  new  move  for  slavery 
had  strengthened  the  opposition  of  his  enemies, 
and  weakened  the  attachment  of  his  friends. 
On  the  adjournment  of  the  Congress  in  which 
it  was  made,  he  turned  his  face  toward  home, 
moving  slowly,  like  a  truant  boy  who  fears  to 
meet  the  frowns  of  a  justly  offended  father. 
"When  he  arrived  at  Chicago,  and  attempted 
boldly  to  defend  his  course,  the  excited  people 
were  loud  in  their  denunciations,  and  refused 
to  hear  him.  This  was  not  the  treatment  that 
Mr.  Lincoln  desired  to  have  him  receive,  and 
when  Mr.  Douglas  came  to  Springfield  a  few 
weeks  afterward,  where  a  state  fair  was  being 
held,  and  a  great  multitude  of  people  were  as 
sembled  from  all  parts  of  the  state,  no  man 
listened  more  closely  to  his  lengthy  speech 


156  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

than  lie.  He  not  only  listened  to  it,  but  he 
understood  it  and  the  whole  subject  in  all  its 
bearings.  The  next  day  he  stood  up  before 
that  multitude,  and  replied  to  it  in  a  speech 
three  hours  long. 

This  speech  is  thus  described  by  one  present : 
"Mr.  Lincoln  quivered  with  feeling  and  emo 
tion.  The  whole  house  was  as  still  as  death. 
He  attacked  the  bill  with  unusual  warmth  and 
energy,  and  all  felt  that  a  man  of  strength  was 
its  enemy,  and  that  he  intended  to  blast  it  if  he 
could  by  strong  and  manly  efforts.  He  was 
most  successful,  and  the  house  approved  the 
glorious  triumph  of  truth  by  loud  and  long-con 
tinued  huzzas.  Women  waved  their  white 
handkerchiefs  in  token  of  woman's  silent  but 
heartfelt  consent.  .  .  .  Mr.  Lincoln  exhibited 
Douglas  in  all  the  attitudes  in  which  he  could 
be  placed  in  a  friendly  debate.  He  exhibited 
the  bill  in  all  its  aspects,  to  show  its  humbug- 
gery  and  falsehood,  and  when  thus  torn  to  rags, 
cut  into  slips,  and  held  up  to  the  gaze  of  the 
vast  crowd,  a  kind  of  scorn  was  visible  upon  the 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  157 

face  of  the  crowd  and  upon  the  lips  of  the  most 
eloquent  speaker.  ...  At  the  conclusion  of  the 
speech  every  man  felt  that  it  was  unanswerable ; 
that  no  human  power  could  overthrow  it  or 
trample  it  under  foot.  The  long  and  repeated 
applause  evinced  the  feelings  of  the  crowd,  and 
gave  token  of  universal  assent  to  Lincoln's 
whole  argument ;  and  every  mind  present  did 
homage  to  the  man  who  took  captive  the  heart, 
and  broke  like  a  sun  over  the  understanding." 

When  Mr.  Lincoln  sat  down,  Mr.  Douglas 
sprang  to  his  feet  to  reply.  His  boldness  was 
much  abated,  for  he  saw  that  the  confidence  of 
the  people  in  the  justness  of  his  bill  was  gone. 
He  talked  for  a  short  time,  and  then  claimed 
the  right  of  continuing  his  remarks  in  the  even 
ing.  This  right  was  conceded  to  him,  but  he 
failed  to  appear.  "  The  Little  Giant  "  arose  to 
conquer  as  at  other  times,  but  his  strength  was 
gone. 

Mr.  Douglas  spoke  a  few  days  after  at  Peoria. 
Mr.  Lincoln  had  followed  him,  and  he  replied 
to  his  speech  in  such  a  manner  that  no  answer 


158  THE   FOREST   BOY. 

was  attempted.  Mr.  Douglas  had  received 
enough  of  his  earnest,  honest  opponent's  "  re 
plies  ;"  they  proved  answers  which  allowed  of 
no  "  answering  again,"  and  it  is  reported  that 
he  requested  Mr.  Lincoln  not  again  to  challenge 
him  to  debate.  It  is  certain  that  for  a  while 
they  both  went  their  way  to  speak  in  different 
places.  Mr.  Lincoln's  speeches  in  these  few 
discussions  were  like  unexpected  shots  thrown 
into  an  enemy's  camp,  creating  confusion  and 
some  fear,  but  leaving  a  fierce  determination  to 
"  fight  it  out."  The  old  political  parties  became 
more  and  more  feeble,  some  from  the  ranks  of 
both  combining  against  them  for  the  sake  of 
the  bondman. 

In  1856  Mr.  Lincoln  finally  broke  away  from 
the  political  organization  to  which  he  had  been 
much  attached,  and  for  which  he  had  spent 
much  time  and  given  his  great  influence,  and 
became  one  of  the  organizers  of  a  republican 
party  in  Illinois.  This  step  gave  increased 
force  to  his  denunciations  of  slavery.  He  made 
a  speech  at  the  first  convention  of  the  party, 


THE    FOREST   BOY.  159 

which  was  full  of  argument  and  fiery  eloquence. 
It  was  thus  noticed  at  the  time  :  "  Never  was  an 
audience  more  completely  electrified  by  human 
eloquence.  Again  and  again,  during  the  prog 
ress  of  its  delivery,  they  sprang  to  their  feet  and 
upon  the  benches,  and  testified  by  long-contin 
ued  shouts  and  the  waving  of  hats  how  deeply 
the  speaker  had  wrought  upon  their  minds  and 
hearts.  It  fused  the  mass  of  the  hitherto  incon 
gruous  elements  into  perfect  homogeneity,  and 
from  that  day  they  worked  together  in  harmo 
nious  and  fraternal  union."  Mr.  Lincoln  became 
at  once  the  western  leader  of  the  new  party,  and 
in  making  up  their  ticket  for  the  presidential 
election  of  1856,  he  was  extensively  named  for 
the  second  place  on  it,  which  was  finally  given 
to  Judge  Dayton.  This  showed  the  esteem  in 
which  he  was  then  held  where  he  had  become 
well  known,  and  pointed  significantly  toward 
the  "White  House,  though  there  was  to  be,  be 
fore  entering  it,  an  achievement  of  a  triumph 
on  an  important  field  of  conflict. 


160  THE  FOREST  BOY. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

A    TRIUMPH    ACHIEVED. 

IN  1858  a  new  and  more  exciting  turn  was  given 
to  the  antislavery  controversy.  Judge  Doug 
las's  law  in  favor  of  what  he  called  "  popular 
sovereignty,"  professing  to  let  the  people  of  the 
new  states  vote  slavery  "  up  or  down,"  had  re 
sulted  in  forcing,  by  fraud,  a  slaveholder's  con 
stitution  upon  Kansas.  Douglas  opposed  the 
fraud,  but  still  defended  the  law  which  occa 
sioned  it.  Lincoln  insisted  in  his  speeches  that 
the  law  itself  was  a  cheat.  This  led  to  a  famous 
controversy  between  these  two  great  men,  by 
which  the  fame  of  both  was  extended,  and  by 
which  slavery  and  freedom  were  held  up  in  a 
clearer  light  to  the  gaze  of  the  people. 

It  happened  that  Douglas's  term  of  service  in 
the  United  States  Senate  expired  about  this 
time.  The  convention  of  his  party  met  in 


THE  FOREST  Boy.  161 

April  and  nominated  him  as  their  candidate  for 
another  term.  The  Eepublican  party  met  in 
June,  and  nominated  Mr.  Lincoln  for  the  same 
office.  The  two  candidates  commenced  at  once 
to  address  the  people  concerning  the  questions 
upon  which  they  differed,  the  principal  one  be 
ing  slavery.  The  good  temper  in  which  this 
controversy  was  carried  on  was  very  remarka 
ble.  The  disputants  began  with  a  kind  word 
for  each  other.  Mr.  Lincoln  thus  spoke  of 
Judge  Douglas  :  "  Twenty-two  years  ago  Judge 
Douglas  and  I  first  became  acquainted.  We 
were  both  young  then,  he  a  trifle  younger  than 
I.  Even  then  we  were  both  ambitious,  I  per 
haps  quite  as  much  so  as  he.  With  me  the 
race  of  ambition  has  been  a  failure,  a  flat  fail 
ure  ;  with  him  it  has  been  one  of  splendid  suc 
cess.  His  name  fills  the  nation,  and  is  not  un 
known  even  in  foreign  lands.  I  affect  no  con 
tempt  for  the  high  eminence  he  has  reached. 
So  reached  that  the  oppressed  of  my  species 
might  have  shared  with  me  in  the  elevation,  I 
would  rather  stand  on  that  eminence  than  wear 


162  THE    FOREST   BOY. 

the  richest  crown  that  ever  pressed  a  monarch's 
brow."  Mr.  Lincoln,  in  a  speech  early  in  the 
campaign,  tKus  playfully  alludes  to  the  advant 
ages  his  opponent  had  over  him  in  the  minds  of 
many  influential  persons,  who  were  expecting 
his  nomination  for  the  presidential  office :  "  They 
have  seen  in  his  round,  jolly,  fruitful  face,  post- 
offices,  land-offices,  marshalships,  and  cabinet 
appointments,  chargeships,  and  foreign  missions 
bursting  and  sprouting  out  in  wonderful  lux 
uriance,  ready  to  be  laid  hold  of  by  their  greedy 
hands.  And  as  they  have  been  gazing  upon 
this  attractive  picture  so  long,  they  cannot,  in 
the  little  distraction  that  has  taken  place  in  the 
party,  bring  themselves  to  give  up  the  charming 
hope  ;  but  with  greedier  anxiety  they  rush  about 
him,  sustain  him,  give  him  inarches,  triumphal 
entries,  and  receptions,  beyond  what  even  in  the 
days  of  his  highest  prosperity  they  could  have 
brought  about  in  his  favor.  On  the  contrary, 
nobody  has  ever  expected  me  to  be  president. 
In  my  poor,  lean,  lank  face  nobody  has  ever  seen 
that  any  cabbages  were  sprouting  out." 


THE   FOREST   BOY.  163 

Mr.  Douglas  refers  in  the  following  manner 
to  Mr.  Lincoln  :  "  I  take  great  pleasure  in  say 
ing  that  I  have  known  personally  and  intimately 
the  worthy  gentleman  who  has  been  nominated 
for  my  place,  and  I  will  say  that  I  regard  him 
as  a  kind,  amiable,  and  intelligent  man.  a  good 
citizen,  and  an  honorable  opponent ;  and  what 
ever  issues  I  may  have  with  him  will  be  of 
principles  and  not  of  personalities." 

Mr.  Lincoln  made  his  first  speech  of  this  fa 
mous  senatorial  campaign  at  Springfield,  Illi 
nois,  to  the  convention  of  a  thousand  delegates 
which  nominated  him,  and  to  the  crowd  which 
gathered  with  them.  It  was  carefully  prepared, 
every  sentence  being  guarded  and  emphatic. 
Before  entering  the  hall  where  it  was  to  be 
delivered,  he  stepped  into  the  office  of  his  law- 
partner,  Mr.  Herndon,  and  locking  the  door, 
that  their  interview  might  be  strictly  private, 
took  the  manuscript  from  his  pocket  and  read 
the  opening  statement,  which  was  that  "  this 
government  cannot  endure  permanently  half 
slave  and  half  free."  Mr.  Herndon  remarked 


164:  THE    FOREST   BOY. 

that  the  sentiment  was  true,  but  suggested  that 
it  might  not  be  good  policy  to  utter  it  at  that 
time.  Mr.  Lincoln  replied  with  great  firmness  : 
"  No  matter  about  the  policy.  It  is  true,  and 
the  nation  is  entitled  to  it.  The  proposition 
has  been  true  for  six  thousand  years,  and  I  will 
deliver  it  as  it  is  written." 

This  speech  made  a  deep  impression,  not 
only  from  the  zeal  and  evident  sincerity  of  the 
speaker,  but  from  the  sound  argument  pre 
sented. 

Soon  after,  Mr.  Douglas  went  to  Chicago, 
where  the  first  excitement  concerning  his  late 
course  in  the  Senate  had  prevented  his  speak 
ing.  His  friends  now  rallied,  and  a  very  flat 
tering  reception  was  given  to  him.  Cheers 
greeted  his  appearance  upon  the  platform,  and 
constant  cheering  stimulated  his  desperate 
determination  to  talk  down  the  rising  popular 
feeling  which  threatened  to  sweep  away  both 
his  office  and  influence.  The  effect  of  his 
speech  showed  that  if  his  power  over  the 
masses  was  waning,  it  was  still  great.  No  man 


THE   FOREST   Boy.  165 

could  have  done  better  with  so  bad  a  cause. 
It  was  evident  that  he  who  should  dare  follow 
him  would  be  a  bold  man. 

Mr.  Lincoln  had  listened  to  Mr.  Douglas, 
and  fully  understood  every  argument  and  every 
evasion,  and  the  next  evening  he  took  the 
stand,  greeted  by  deafening  applause.  Al 
though  his  opponent  had  been  provoking  in 
his  treatment  of  his  Springfield  speech,  he  was 
in  excellent  humor  while  showing  this  unfair 
ness.  He  used  the  occasion  to  reaffirm  his 
sentiments  concerning  slavery.  He  said :  "  I 
have  always  hated  slavery,  I  trust,  as  much  as 
any  Abolitionist.  I  have  been  an  Old  Line 
Whig,  I  have  always  hated  it,  but  I  have 
been  quiet  about  it  until  this  new  era  of  the 
introduction  of  the  Nebraska  bill  began.  I  have 
always  believed  that  everybody  was  against  it, 
and  that  it  was  in  course  of  ultimate  extinction." 

So  clear  were  his  statements,  and  so  plainly 
honest  every  word,  that  the  mass  of  the  people 
who  heard  him  were  evidently  brought  into  full 
sympathy  with  his  political  doctrines. 


166  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

Mr.  Douglas  made  no  reply,  but  went  to 
other  parts  of  the  state,  followed  by  his  oppo 
nent,  with  his  annoying  popularity  and  his 
more  annoying  arguments.  Mr.  Lincoln  even 
proposed  to  Mr.  Douglas  that  they  should 
travel  through  the  state  together,  agreeing 
upon  some  plan  of  discussion  at  every  point. 
This  Mr.  Douglas  declined,  but  after  some 
delay,  during  which  they  spoke  in  different 
places,  he  agreed  that  they  should  hold  public 
discussions  in  seven  prominent  towns.  The 
arrangements  in  reference  to  this  proposal  were 
made  and  carried  out.  Mr.  Douglas,  being 
rich,  is  said  to  have  traveled  with  great  parade, 
spending  many  thousands  of  dollars  during  the 
discussion.  Mr.  Lincoln  maintained  his  usual 
simplicity,  and  very  innocently  remarked  at 
the  close,  that  it  had  been  a  very  expensive 
work,  and  he  really  thought  it  had  cost  him 
five  hundred  dollars.  But  sometimes  the  two 
opponents  traveled  together  in  friendly  chat  in 
the  same  carriage  or  public  conveyance. 

The  magazines  and  journals  of  the  day  con- 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  167 

tained  reports  of  the  debate,  and  graphic  pen- 
portraits  of  the  disputants,  of  which  the  follow 
ing  is  a  good  example :  "  During  this  political 
contest  with  Mr.  Douglas,  Mr.  Lincoln  not  only 
proved  himself  an  able  speaker  and  a  good 
tactician,  but  demonstrated  that  it  is  possible 
to  carry  on  the  fiercest  political  warfare  with 
out  once  descending  to  rude  personality  and 
coarse  denunciation.  We  have  it  on  the  author 
ity  of  a  person  who  followed  Abraham  Lincoln 
throughout  the  whole  of  that  campaign,  that, 
in  spite  of  all  the  temptations  to  an  opposite 
course  to  which  he  was  continually  exposed,  no 
personalities  against  his  opponent,  no  vitu 
perations  or  coarseness,  ever  defiled  his  lips. 
His  kind  and  genial  nature  lifted  him  above  a 
resort  to  any  such  weapon  of  political  warfare, 
and  it  was  the  commonly  expressed  regret  of 
fiercer  natures  that  he  treated  his  opponent  so 
courteously  and  urbanely.  Vulgar  personali 
ties  and  vituperation  are  the  last  things  that 
can  be  truthfully  charged  against  Abraham 

Lincoln.      His   heart  is   too   genial,   his   good 
11 


168  THE    FOREST   BOY. 

sense  too  strong,  and  his  innate  self-respect  too 
predominant  to  permit  him  to  indulge  in  them. 
His  nobility  of  nature,  and  we  use  the  term 
advisedly,  has  been  as  steadfast  throughout  his 
whole  career  as  his  temperate  habits,  his  self- 
reliance,  and  his  intellectual  power." 

Another  writer  thus  sketches  both  the  de 
baters  as  they  appeared  in  their  discussion  at 
Galesburgh :  "  The  men  are  entirely  dissimilar. 
Mr.  Douglas  is  a  thick-set,  finely-built,  coura 
geous  man,  and  has  an  air  of  self-confidence 
that  does  not  a  little  to  inspire  his  supporters 
with  hope.  Mr.  Lincoln  is  a  tall,  lank  man, 
awkward,  apparently  diffident,  and,  when  not 
speaking,  has  not  firmness  in  his  countenance 
nor  fire  in  his  eye.  He  has  a  rich  silvery 
voice ;  he  enunciates  with  great '  distinctness, 
and  has  a  fine  command  of  language. 

"  Mr.  Lincoln  commenced  by  a  review  of  the 
points  Mr.  Douglass  had  made.  In  this  he 
showed  great  tact,  and  his  retorts,  though 
gentlemanly,  were  sharp,  and  reached  to  the 
core  the  subject  in  dispute.  While  he  gave  but 


THEF6KESTBOY.  169 

little  time  to  the  work  of  review,  we  did  not 
feel  that  anything  was  omitted  which  deserved 
attention. 

"He  then  proceeded  to  defend  the  Repub 
lican  party.  Here  he  charged  Mr.  Douglas 
with  doing  nothing  for  freedom ;  witli  disre 
garding  the  rights  and  interests  of  the  colored 
man ;  and  for  about  forty  minutes  he  spoke 
with  a  power  that  we  have  seldom  heard 
equaled.  There  was  a  grandeur  in  his 
thoughts,  a  comprehensiveness  in  his  argu 
ments,  and  a  binding  force  in  his  conclusions, 
which  were  perfectly  irresistible.  The  vast 
throng  was  silent  as  death ;  every  eye  was  fixed 
upon  the  speaker,  and  all  gave  him  serious 
attention.  He  was  the  tall  man  eloquent ;  his 
countenance  glowed  with  animation,  and  his 
eye  glistened  with  an  intelligence  that  made  it 
lustrous.  He  was  no  longer  awkward  and 
ungainly,  but  graceful,  bold,  and  commanding. 

"  Mr.  Douglas  had  been  quietly  smoking  up 
to  this  time;  but  here  he  forgot  his  cigar,  and 
listened  with  anxious  attention.  When  he  rose 


170  THE    FOREST   BOY. 

to  reply,  he  appeared  excited,  disturbed,  and 
his  second  effort  seemed  to  ns  vastly  inferior  to 
his  first.  Mr.  Lincoln  had  given  a  great  talk, 
and  he  had  neither  time  nor  ability  to  answer 
him." 

The  eyes  of  the  whole  country  were  turned 
toward  Illinois,  and  the  debaters  were  followed 
from  point  to  point  through  the  reports  of  the 
public  journals.  "When  the  debate  was  closed 
the  Kepublican  party  published  the  speeches 
of  both,  without  alteration  or  comment,  and 
scattered  them  over  the  country,  greatly  swell 
ing  the  wave  of  influence  which  soon  changed 
the  administration  of  the  general  government. 

Mr.  Lincoln's  reputation  as  a  great  and  good 
man  was  immensely  advanced ;  but  he  lost,  and 
Mr.  Douglas  won,  the  position  of  United  States 
senator,  by  the  vote  of  their  state  legislature. 
If  the  people  of  the  state  had  voted  directly  on 
the  question,  instead  of  by  their  representatives, 
they  would  have  given  Mr.  Lincoln  a  majority 
of  four  thousand. 

When   Mr.  Lincoln  was  asked  how  he  felt 


THE  .FOREST   BOY.  171 

when  he  learned  that  he  had  been  defeated,  he 
replied :  "  Like  the  boy  who  struck  his  toe 
against  a  stone,  too  much  hurt  to  laugh,  and 
too  big  to  cry." 

But  he  had  convinced  the  people  of  his  own 
state,  and  had  done  much  to  convince  the  mass 
of  the  people  in  all  the  free  states,  that  his 
principles,  the  principles  of  universal  freedom, 
were  right.  This  was  achieving  a  triumph 
which  bore  him  beyond  the  senatorship  to  a 
position  from  which  the  White  House  was 
clearly  in  view. 


172.  THE    FOKEST    BOY. 


CHAPTEK  XIX. 

THE   WHITE   HOUSE    IN    PROSPECT. 

THE  interest  of  the  people  of  the  United  States 
in  the  presidential  election  which  was  to  take 
place  in  November,  1860,  commenced  its  sig 
nificant  manifestation  many  months  previous. 
The  cries  of  the  oppressed  negroes  of  the  South 
had  entered  the  ears  of  God,  and  he  had  given 
to  many  thousands  of  the  voters  hearts  to  feel 
their  wrongs.  Men  in  every  part  of  the  free 
states  were  saying,  Slavery  shall  extend  no 
further ;  our  new  territories  which  are  now  free 
shall  never  be  polluted  by  the  feet  of  slave 
holders,  with  their  property  in  men  and 
women  ;  we  cannot  touch  it  in  the  states  where 
it  now  exists,  but  there  it  shall  stay  until  its 
own  wicked  and  hated  character  shall  kill  it. 

We  have  seen  that  Mr.  Lincoln  had  been  in 
the  West  an  honest  and  earnest  standard-bearer 


THE  FOREST  Boy.  173 

for  those  who  held  these  sentiments,  so  that  the 
very  first  movements  in  that  section  of  the 
country  toward  selecting  a  candidate  for  the 
presidential  office  gave  evidence  that  the 
thoughts  and  hearts  of  the  people  were  turned 
to  him.  But  men  have  sometimes  very  boyish 
and  very  foolish  ways  of  showing  their  interest 
in  serious  and  important  matters.  They  called 
General  Jackson  "  Old  Hickory,"  and  made  a 
great  cry  about  his  being  like  the  "gnarled  oak " 
when  politicians  wished  to  twist  him  about; 
they  made  a  great  noise  concerning  log-cabins 
and  hard  cider  when  General  Harrison  was  a 
presidential  candidate;  and  now,  when  they 
wished  to  bring  Mr.  Lincoln  into  notice  for  the 
same  high  office,  many  men  seemed  to  think 
that  there  must  be  some  such  rallying  cry  in 
order  to  elect  him.  Doubtless  all  these  good 
and  great  men  were  mortified  to  have  their 
names  connected  with  such  foolish  matters, 
which  had  nothing  to  do  with  their  fitness  for 
the  honorable  and  difficult  duties  of  president 
of  a  great  nation. 


174  THE   FOREST  BOY. 

The  key-note  of  this  kind  of  party  watch 
word  was  given  by  Mr.  Lincoln's  friends  in  his 
own  state,  and  early  in  the  campaign.  In  May, 
1859,  the  Illinois  state  republican  convention 
met  in  Decatur,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  attended  as  a 
spectator.  "When  he  entered  the  hall  a  burst  of 
applause  greeted  him,  which  seemed  to  shake 
the  foundation  of  the  building.  The  sight  of 
his  homely  but  honest  face,  so  expressive  of 
intelligence  and  power,  electrified  the  audience. 
He  had  hardly  taken  his  seat  when  the  gov 
ernor  of  the  state  arose,  and  said  that  an  old 
democrat  wished  to  make  a  presentation  to  the 
convention.  Permission  being  given,  two  old 
fence-rails  were  borne  -into  the  hall,  covered 
with  showy  decorations.  They  bore  the  in 
scription,  "  Abraham  Lincoln,  the  rail  candi 
date  for  the  presidency  in  1860.  Two  rails 
from  a  lot  of  three  thousand,  made  in  1830  by 
Thomas  Hanks  and  Abe  Lincoln,  whose  father 
was  the  first  pioneer  of  Macon  County." 

At  sight  of  these  emblems  of  their  favorite's 
popular  character  and  humble  origin,  the  ex- 


THE    FOREST   BOY.  175 

cited  crowd  sprang  to  their  feet,  and  showed 
their  enthusiasm  by  vociferous  and  long  con 
tinued  cheering.  When  at  last  the  tumult  had 
in  a  measure  subsided,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  called 
upon  to  explain  the  statement  respecting  the 
rails.  This  he  did  by  modestly  rehearsing  the 
facts,  which  we  have  given  in  their  place  in  his 
history,  relating  to  his  breaking  up  some  land 
for  his  father,  and  splitting  rails  to  inclose  it. 
The  shouts  of  "  The  rail-splitter  of  Illinois  the 
people's  choice  for  the  presidency,"  were  taken 
up  by  the  hardy  tillers  of  the  soil  in  every  part 
of  the  great  West,  and  were  echoed  from  the 
far  off  Atlantic  and  Pacific  shores.  The  noisy 
demonstration  of  the  people  did  not  affect  Mr. 
Lincoln,  except  as  they  gave  evidence  of  an 
increasing  love  for  the  cause  of  the  oppressed. 
He  was  busy  with  the  great  principles  of  uni 
versal  freedom,  convincing  the  masses  by  his 
strong  arguments,  and  winning  their  hearts  by 
his  kind  spirit. 

He  visited  Kansas,  and  the  people  greeted  his 
coming  among  them  with  an  enthusiastic  wel- 


176  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

come  both,  universal  and  sincere.  No  con 
queror,  returning  with  the  trophies  of  his  vic 
tory,  could  have  so  taken  captive  all  hearts. 
They  remembered  his  generous  words  and 
deeds  in  their  behalf  during  their  dark  days  of 
brave  but  unequal  contest  with  the  slave 
power. 

After  visiting  Kansas,  Mr.  Lincoln  followed 
Judge  Douglas  into  Ohio,  repeating  and  en 
larging  upon  the  arguments  of  the  great  sena 
torial  discussion.  He  spoke  at  Cincinnati  to 
immense  crowds,  uttering  many  kind  and  wise 
words  for  the  slaveholders  across  the  river, 
knowing  that  the  papers  along  the  border 
would  publish  his  speech. 

In  the  early  part  of  1860  Mr.  Lincoln  turned 
his  face  toward  the  Atlantic  states.  He  had 
not  yet  become  known  much  out  of  the  West, 
except  by  the  report  of  his  debates  with  Judge 
Douglas.  He  had  received  an  invitation  to 
speak  in  the  Eev.  Henry  Ward  Beecher's 
church  in  Brooklyn.  He  accepted  the  invita 
tion,  and  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  February  ar- 


THE  FOKEST  BOY.  177 

rived  in  New  York.  After  reaching  the  Astor 
House  on  Saturday,  he  learned,  to  his  surprise, 
that  arrangements  had  been  made  by  his  politi 
cal  friends  for  him  to  speak  in  the  Cooper  Insti 
tute  of  the  great  metropolis.  "When  visited  by 
the  great  men  of  his  party,  he  was  found  dressed 
in  a  new  suit  of  black,  badly  wrinkled  by  being 
closely  packed  in  his  valise.  He  felt  embar 
rassed  by  his  unbecoming  dress,  as  well  as  by 
his  new  and,  to  him,  strange  position,  and 
spoke  of  both  to  his  visitors  with  a  childlike 
simplicity. 

Having  on  Saturday  reviewed  and  modified 
his  speech  with  reference  to  the  change  of  place 
of  its  delivery,  he  attended,  with  evident  satis 
faction,  Mr.  Beecher's  church  on  Sunday.  On 
Monday  he  was  taken  by  his  friends  through 
some  of  the  principal  streets  and  largest  busi 
ness  establishments  of  the  city.  He  met,  while 
looking  at  its  wonderful  things,  an  old  friend 
from  Illinois,  who  remarked,  in  the  course  of 
their  conversation,  that  he  had  made  and  lost 
since  coming  to  New  York  a  hundred  thousand 


178  THE   FOREST  BOY. 

dollars,  and,  looking  earnestly  at  Mr.  Lincoln, 
added,  "  And  how  is  it  with  you  ? "  "  O  very 
well,"  he  replied.  "I  have  the  cottage  in 
Springfield,  and  about  eight  thousand  dollars 
in  money.  If  they  make  me  vice-president  with 
Seward,  as  some  say  they  will,  I  hope  I  shall  be 
able  to  increase  it  to  twenty  thousand,  and  that 
is  as  much  as  any  man  ought  to  want." 

He  met,  at  a  photograph  establishment, 
George  Bancroft,  the  famous  and  learned  his 
torian.  He  felt  embarrassed  when  introduced 
to  one  of  such  eminent  refinement,  but  still  he 
maintained  his  natural  frankness  and  freedom 
of  conversation.  He  told  Mr.  Bancroft  that  he 
was  going  to  Cambridge,  in  Massachusetts, 
where  he  had  a  son  who,  if  reports  were  true, 
already  knew  more  than  his  father. 

Mr.  Lincoln  felt  a  burden  upon  his  spirits  as 
he  veturned  to  his  hotel.  He  was  to  speak  that 
night  to  one  of  the  largest  and  most  intelligent 
audiences  that  ever  assembled  in  the  country. 
His  excursion  during  the  day  had  painfully 
impressed  him  with  a  sense  of  his  own  insignifi- 


THE   FOREST   BOY.  179 

cance.  He  was  ambitious,  but  distrustful  of  his 
abilities.  He  knew  he  Lad  succeeded  in  speak 
ing  to  his  own  people  in  the  West,  to  whom  he 
thought  his  peculiar  manner  might  be  adapted. 
But  would  the  people  who  were  accustomed  to 
hear  the  most  scholarly  and  able  men  of  the 
country  listen  to  him  with  favor  ? 

Such  were  some  of  the  thoughts  with  which 
Mr.  Lincoln  entered  the  hall  of  the  institute. 
He  found  it  crowded  with  gentlemen  and  ladies, 
who  had  an  intense  curiosity  to  hear  him.  The 
platform  was  occupied  by  the  distinguished  men 
of  the  Republican  party  of  Brooklyn  and  New 
York. 

Mr.  Lincoln's  fears  concerning  the  reception 
of  his  speech  proved  entirely  groundless.  'No 
one  effort  of  his  life  of  this  kind  did  so  much  to 
increase  his  fame  and  influence.  He  said  to 
the  reporters  who  had  called  upon  him  for  notes 
of  his  speech  before  its  delivery,  that  he  did  not 
think  any  of  the  editors  would  consider  it  worth 
an  extended  notice.  But  it  was  published  and 
read  all  over  the  free  states.  Men  wondered  at 


180  THE  FOKEST  BOY. 

its  unanswerable  logic,  its  pure  English,  and 
happy  illustrations.  The  forest  boy  of  the  West 
became  the  lion  of  the  East. 

After  the  lecture  Mr.  Lincoln  tarried  until  a 
late  hour  at  a  supper  given  by  his  special 
friends,  delighting  them  as  much  by  his  stories 
and  good-humor  in  the  social  circle  as  he  had 
surprised  them  by  his  intellectual  power  in 
public. 

He  spent  a  few  days  in  further  sight-seeing 
at  New  York.  A  teacher  in  the  Five  Points 
House  of  Industry  relates  the  following  incident 
which  occurred  during  one  of  his  calls : 

"  Our  Sunday-school  in  the  Five  Points  was 
assembled  one  Sabbath  morning  a  few  months 
since,  when  I  noticed  a  tall  and  remarkable 
looking  man  enter  the  room  and  take  a  seat 
among  us.  He  listened  with  fixed  attention  to 
our  exercises,  and  his  countenance  manifested 
such  genuine  interest,  that  I  approached  him 
and  suggested  that  he  might  be  willing  to  say 
something  to  the  children.  He  accepted  the 
invitation  with  evident  pleasure,  and,  coming 


THE    FOREST  BOY.  181 

forward,  began  a  simple  address  which  at  once 
fascinated  every  little  hearer,  and  hushed  the 
room  into  silence.  His  language  was  strikingly 
beautiful,  and  his  tones  musical  with  in  tensest 
feeling.  The  little  faces  around  would  droop 
into  sad  conviction  as  he  uttered  sentences  of 
warning,  and  would  brighten  into  sunshine  as 
he  spoke  cheerful  words  of  promise.  Once  or 
twice  he  attempted  to  close  his  remarks,  but 
the  imperative  shout  of  '  Go  on  !  O  do  go  on ! ' 
would  compel  him  to  resume.  As  he  was 
quietly  leaving  the  room  I  begged  to  know  his 
name.  He  courteously  replied,  '  It  is  Abraham 
Lincoln,  of  Illinois."1 

Leaving  New  York,  Mr.  Lincoln  made  an 
excursion  through  some  of  the  principal  cities 
of  Connecticut,  and  visited  his  son  at  Harvard 
College,  Mass.  He  made  speeches  in  several 
cities  with  great  success.  In  New  Haven  a 
professor  of  rhetoric  in  Yale  College  went  to 
hear  his  address,  and  gave  a  lecture  the  next 
day  to  his  class  on  its  excellences.  The  pro 
fessor  was  so  much  pleased  and  impressed  by 


182  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

the  speaker  that  he  followed  him  to  Meriden  to 
learn  more  concerning  his  wonderful  originality 
and  power. 

A  distinguished  clergyman  of  Norwich,  after 
a  familiar  conversation  with  Mr.  Lincoln  con 
cerning  his  remarkable  success  as  a  speaker, 
said,  as  they  were  about  to  part,  •"  Mr.  Lin 
coln,  may  I  say  one  thing  to  you  before  we 
separate  ? " 

"  Certainly ;  anything  you  please,"  was  the 
reply. 

"  You  have  just  spoken,"  said  the  minister, 
"  of  the  tendency  of  political  life  in  Washington 
to  lead  our  representatives  to  act  from  expedi 
ency  instead  of  principle.  You  have  become 
one  of  our  leaders  in  the  great  struggle  with 
slavery  which  is  the  struggle  of  the  nation  and 
the  age.  What  I  would  like  to  say  is  this,  and 
I  say  it  with  a  full  heart :  Be  true  to  your  prin 
ciples  and  we  will  be  true  to  you,  and  God  will 
be  true  to  us  all."  Mr.  Lincoln  was  greatly 
moved  by  the  earnestness  of  the  appeal,  and, 
taking  his  friend's  extended  hand  in  both  of  his 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  183 

own,  exclaimed,  "  I  say  amen  to  that !    Amen 
to  that ! " 

During  these  itineratings  of  Mr.  Lincoln, 
the  wave  of  popular  excitement  in  reference 
to  the  questions  which  were  to  enter  into  the 
approaching  presidential  election  was  plainly 
increasing  in  extent  and  force ;  and  as  the 
excitement  increased  the  name  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  became  more  prominent.  With,  there 
fore,  the  White  House  clearly  in  prospect,  ho 
returned  to  his  Illinois  home  to  await  the  result 
of  the  approaching  nominating  convention,  and 
the  decisive  utterances  of  the  voice  of  the  people 

which  were  to  follow. 

12 


184  THE  FOREST  BOY. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE  VOICE   OF  THE   PEOPLE. 

IN  April,  1860,  the  people  began  to  speak 
in  reference  to  the  presidential  candidates. 
Several  conventions  were  held,  and  Stephen  A. 
Douglas,  Mr.  Lincoln's  old  opponent,  John  C. 
Breckenridge,  a  slaveholder  of  Kentucky,  and 
John  Bell,  of  Tennessee,  were  nominated.  But 
the  convention  in  which  the  people  of  the  free 
states  were  most  interested,  and  toward  which 
the  eyes  of  the  whole  country  were  turned,  met 
at  Chicago  on  the  sixteenth  of  June.  It  assem 
bled  in  a  building  of  immense  size  put  up  for 
the  purpose,  and  called  "  The  Wigwam."  The 
people  who  had  flocked  to  Chicago  to  witness  or 
to  influence  the  doings  of  the  convention  could 
hardly  be  numbered ;  fifteen  hundred  slept  in  a 
single  hotel.  All  comfortable  lodging  places 
of  the  vast  city  were  occupied,  and  many 


THE   FOKEST   BOY.  185 

were  compelled  to  be  content  with  very  poor 
ones. 

After  some  debate  the  convention  adopted 
its  "platform,"  which  might  be  called  the  in 
scription  to  be  put  upon  the  republican  ban 
ners  and  carried  into  every  battle  during  the 
presidential  campaign.  It  was  antislavery  and 
"  free  soil."  When  it  was  announced,  the  ex 
citement  of  the  people  became  intense.  An 
eyewitness  thus  describes  it :  "  All  the  thou 
sands  of  men  in  that  enormous  wigwam  com 
menced  swinging  their  hats,  and  cheering  with 
intense  enthusiasm ;  and  the  other  thousands  of 
ladies  waved  their  handkerchiefs  and  clapped 
their  hands.  The  roar  that  went  up  from  the 
mass  of  ten  thousand  human  beings  is  inde 
scribable.  Such  a  spectacle  as  was  presented 
for  some  minutes  has  never  been  witnessed 
at  a  convention.  A  herd  of  buffaloes  or  lions 
could  not  have  made  a  more  tremendous 
roaring." 

Before  the  balloting  for  a  candidate  was  com 
menced,  a  telegram  was  sent  to  Mr.  Lincoln.  It 


186  THE   FOEEST   BOY. 

told  him  that  the  votes  of  certain  two  delega 
tions  would  decide  the  nomination  in  his  favor, 
and  that  he  could  have  them  if  he  would  prom 
ise  the  chairman  of  each  a  place  in  his  cabinet. 
Promptly  the  wires  flashed  the  following  reply : 

"I  authorize  no  bargains,  and  will  be  bound 
by  none.  "  A.  LINCOLN." 

Now  came  the  voting.  On  the  third  ballot 
ing  Abraham  Lincoln  received  a  majority.  The 
painful  silence  which  attended  the  voting 
was  succeeded  by  deafening  shouts  when  the 
result  was  announced.  Inside  the  wigwam  the 
multitude  cheered  until  strength  failed  them. 
A  man  who  had  been  standing  upon  the  roof 
during  the  voting  shouted  the  name  of  Abraham 
Lincoln.  Cannon  had  been  mounted  on  the  top 
of  one  of  the  hotels,  and  in  other  conspicuous 
positions,  and  all  were  ready  for  the  match. 
When,  therefore,  the  sentinel  called  from  the 
top  of  the  wigwam,  the  answering  guns  thun 
dered  their  approval  in  every  direction.  The 


THE   FOREST   BOY.  187 

multitude  without  responded  to  the  multitude 
within,  and  the  mingled  shouts  were  "  as  the 
voice  of  many  waters."  The  great  city  of 
Chicago  was  wild  with  joy.  The  dignity  of 
great  men,  and  the  sobriety  of  the  aged,  were 
borne  away  in  the  common  enthusiasm.  As 
the  telegraphic  wires  flashed  over  the  whole 
country  the  name  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  the 
people  knew  what  it  meant.  It  meant  a  polit 
ical  struggle  between  slavery  and  freedom — a 
struggle  for  the  rule  of  the  many  against  the 
rule  of  the  few,  such  as  the  world  had  never 
seen.  All  the  loyal,  liberty-loving  people  re 
joiced,  and  responded  to  the  shouts  of  the  great 
city  of  the  West,  from  every  city,  town,  and  vil 
lage  of  the  free  states. 

During  the  excitement  of  the  voting  at 
Chicago,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  quietly  sitting  with 
his  friends  in  the  office  of  "  The  Journal,"  at 
Springfield,  Illinois.  It  cannot  be  supposed 
that  his  interest  was  otherwise  than  intense  as 
the  telegram  conveyed  to  him  the  result  of  each 
balloting.  When,  at  last,  the  telegram  came 


188  THE  FOREST   BOY. 

which  announced  his  nomination,  he  took  it 
from  the  hands  of  the  messenger  of  the  telegraph 
office,  and  read  it,  first  in  silence,  and  then  to 
the  friends  about  him.  He  was  not  exultant. 
It  is  reported  that  clouds  of  sadness  were  seen 
alternating  with  the  expressions  of  joy  upon  his 
countenance.  He  knew  well  what  burdens  this 
news  foreshadowed.  Having  waited  a  few 
moments  to  receive  the  congratulations  of  his 
friends,  he  quietly  pocketed  the  telegram,  say 
ing,  as  he  walked  from  the  office,  that  there  was 
"  a  little  woman  "  at  home  who  had  an  interest 
in  the  matter. 

That  evening  Mr.  Lincoln  was  engaged  until 
a  late  hour  receiving  the  congratulations  of 
the  citizens  of  Springfield,  who  sincerely  and 
ardently  loved  him.  On  the  next  day  came  a 
committee  from  the  Chicago  Convention,  bear 
ing  the  official  announcement  of  his  nomination. 
Mr.  Lincoln's  Springfield  friends,  thinking  to 
do  him  a  favor,  had  sent  to  his  house  sundry 
vessels  of  strong  drink.  They  thought  he  would 
need  it  to  give  a  fitting  reception  to  the  eminent 


THE   FOREST  BOY.  189 

men  who  were  about  to  call  upon  him.  But 
tins  was  not  in  accordance  with  his  principles  or 
practices ;  being  embarrassed  by  it,  he  privately 
took  counsel  about  the  matter  with  a  friend  on 
the  committee  before  they  came  in  formally. 
This  friend  said,  "  Mr.  Lincoln,  I  advise  you  to 
return  the  liquor,  and  act  in  acordance  with 
your  principles."  This  he  did,  as  will  be  seen 
in  the  following  account  given  by  an  eyewitness. 
The  speech  of  the  chairman  of  the  committee 
had  been  made  on  presenting  the  nomination, 
and  Mr.  Lincoln  had  replied,  accepting  it  with 
expressions  of  distrust  in  himself,  and  of  confi 
dence  in  God's  blessing. 

"  Mr.  Lincoln  then  remarked  to  the  company 
that,  as  an  appropriate  conclusion  to  an  inter 
view  so  important  and  interesting  as  that  which 
had  just  transpired,  he  supposed  good  manners 
would  require  that  he  should  treat  the  commit 
tee  with  something  to  drink;  and,  opening  a 
door  that  led  into  a  room  in  the  rear,  he  called 
out,  £  Mary  !  Mary  ! '  A  girl  responded  to  the 
call,  to  whom  Mr.  Lincoln  spoke  a  few  words  in 


190  THE  FOKEST   BOY. 

an  undertone ;  and,  closing  the  door,  returned 
again  to  converse  with  his  guests.  In  a  few 
moments  the  maiden  entered  bearing  a  large 
waiter  containing  several  tumblers  and  a  pitch 
er  in  the  midst,  and  placed  it  upon  the  center- 
table.  Mr.  Lincoln  arose,  and  gravely  address 
ing  the  company,  said  :  <  Gentlemen,  we  must 
pledge  our  mutual  healths  in  the  most  healthy 
beverage  God  has  given  to  man ;  it  is  the  only 
beverage  I  have  ever  used  or  allowed  in  my 
family,  and  I  cannot  conscientiously  depart 
from  it  on  the  present  occasion ;  it  is  pure 
Adam's  ale  from  the  spring.'  Taking  a  tum 
bler,  he  touched  it  to  his  lips  and  pledged  them 
his  highest  respects  in  a  cup  of  cold  water.  Of 
course  all  his  guests  were  constrained  to  admit 
his  consistency  and  join  in  his  example." 

The  committee,  though  not  merry  with  wine, 
were  very  cheerful.  Judge  Kelley,  of  Pennsyl 
vania,  a  very  tall  man,  as  he  approached  to 
shake  hands  with  Mr.  Lincoln,  paused,  and  in  a 
pleasant  manner  looked  at  him  from  head  to 
foot,  as  if  about  to  estimate  his  height.  Mr. 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  191 

Lincoln  observed  this,  and,  as  lie  took  the 
judge's  hand,  said, 

"  Judge,  how  high  are  you  ? " 

"  Six  feet  three,"  replied  the  judge.  "  What 
is  your  height,  Mr.  Lincoln  ?  " 

"  Six  feet  four,"  answered  Mr.  Lincoln. 

"  Then,  sir,"  said  the  judge,  "  Pennsylvania 
bows  to  Illinois.  My  dear  man,"  he  added, 
"  for  many  years  my  heart  has  been  aching  for 
a  president  I  could  look  up  to,  and  I've  found 
him  at  last  in  the  land  where  we  thought  there 
were  none  but  LITTLE  giants." 

Mr.  Lincoln,  being  now  regarded  as  the  prop 
erty  of  the  nation,  was  allowed  to  have  no  rest 
at  his  own  home.  The  sudden  increase  of  his 
friends  was  truly  wonderful.  With  unfaltering 
patience  he  gave  attention  to  each  visitor,  for  a 
while  answering  in  person  his  door-bell,  and  ac 
companying  his  guests  to  the  door  when  they 
retired.  His  friends,  observing  the  severe  labor 
of  these  calls,  provided  him  with  a  colored  serv 
ant  by  the  name  of  "  Thomas ;"  but  Mr.  Lin 
coln  could  not  always  wait  for  Thomas's  move- 


192  THE   FOREST  BOY. 

ments  in  attending  the  door,  nor  endure  his 
formal  courtesy  in  bowing  them  out.  His  new 
position  could  not  easily  teach  him,  however 
necessary  it  might  be,  a  new  mode  of  hospital 
ity.  "With  him  everything  must  be  done  with 
entire  sincerity  and  frankness  or  not  at  all. 

The  following  incident,  given  by  a  writer  in 
the  "  Portland  Press,"  shows  the  freedom  with 
which  his  home  was  invaded  by  curious  callers, 
and  the  kindness  with  which  they  were  re 
ceived.  The  gentleman  here  spoken  of  had 
been  at  the  Chicago  convention,  and  when  the 
nomination  was  made  immediately  started  to 
see  the  candidate  at  his  home.  The  account 
says  :  "  Arriving  at  Springfield,  he  put  up  at  a 
public  house,  and  loitering  upon  the  front  door 
steps  had  the  curiosity  to  inquire  of  the  land 
lord  where  Mr.  Lincoln  lived.  While  giving 
the  necessary  directions  the  landlord  suddenly 
remarked,  £  There  is  Mr.  Lincoln  now,  coming 
down  the  sidewalk;  that  tall,  crooked  man, 
loosely  walking  this  way ;  if  you  wish  to  see 
him  you  will  have  an  opportunity  by  putting 


THE  FOEEST  BOY.  193 

yourself  in  his  track.'  In  a  few  moments  the 
object  of  his  curiosity  reached  the  point  which 
our  friend  occupied,  who,  advancing,  ventured 
to  accost  him  thus :  £  Is  this  Mr.  Lincoln  ? ' 
'That,  sir,  is  my  name.'  'My  name  is  R, 
from  Plymouth  County,  Massachusetts,  and 
learning  that  you  have  to-day  been  made  the 
public  property  of  the  United  States,  I  have 
ventured  to  introduce  myself,  with  a  view  to  a 
brief  acquaintance,  hoping  you  will  pardon  such 
a  patriotic  curiosity  in  a  stranger.'  Mr.  Lin 
coln  received  his  salutations  with  cordiality,  told 
him  no  apology  was  necessary  for  his  introduc 
tion,  and  asked  him  to  accompany  him  to  his 
residence. 

"  Arriving  at  Mr.  Lincoln's  residence,  he  was 
introduced  to  Mrs.  Lincoln  and  the  two  boys. 
After  some  conversation  concerning  the  Lincoln 
family  of  the  Plymouth  colony  and  the  history 
of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  with  which  Mr.  Lincoln 
seemed  familiar,  Mr.  R.  desired  the  privilege 
of  writing  a  letter  to  be  dispatched  by  the  next 
mail.  Mr.  Lincoln  very  promptly  and  kindly 


194  THE  FOREST  Boy. 

provided  him  with  the  necessary  means.  As  he 
began  to  write  Mr.  Lincoln  approached,  and 
tapping  him  on  the  shoulder,  expressed  the  hope 
that  he  was  not  a  spy  who  had  come  thus  early 
to  report  his  faults  to  the  public.  'By  no 
means,  sir,'  protested  Mr.  R.,  'I  am  writing 
home  to  my  wife,  who,  I  dare  say,  will  hardly 
credit  the  fact  that  I  am  writing  in  your  house.' 
c  O,  sir,'  exclaimed  Mr.  Lincoln,  i  if  your  wife 
doubts  your  word  I  will  cheerfully  indorse  it, 
if  you  will  give  me  permission,'  and  taking 
the  pen  from  Mr.  R.  he  wrote  the  following 
words,  in  a  clear  hand,  upon  the  blank  page  of 
the  letter : 

"  '  I  am  happy  to  say  that  your  husband  is  at 
the  present  time  a  guest  in  my  house,  and  in 
due  time  I  trust  you  will  greet  his  safe  return 
to  the  bosom  of  his  family.  A.  LINCOLN.'  ': 

These  calls  became  so  frequent  that  they  left 
to  Mr.  Lincoln  and  his  family  but  few  moments 
of  quiet  or  privacy.  His  friends  again  came  to 
his  relief,  and  procured  the  executive  chamber, 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  195 

a  large  and  beautiful  room  in  the  state-house, 
where  he  received,  until  his  departure  for  "Wash 
ington,  all  callers.  Here  he  felt  at  liberty  to 
have  stated  reception  hours,  and  to  impose  more 
restraint  upon  his  visitors ;  yet  his  simplicity 
and  frankness  were  unchanged,  as  the  following 
incidents  will  show. 

Sitting  in  his  reception  room  on  one  occasion, 
busily  engaged  with  a  friend,  he  noticed  two 
young  men  timidly  lingering  about  the  door. 
They  were  dressed  in  rustic  clothes,  and  gave 
evidence  that  they  were  unused  to  the  presence 
of  great  men.  Mr.  Lincoln  discerned  at  once 
that  they  had  a  desire  to  speak  to  him,  but  were 
afraid  to  enter.  Going  to  the  door  he  said 
kindly,  "  How  do  you  do,  my  good  fellows  ? 
"What  can  I  do  for  you  ?  Will  you  walk  in  and 
sit  down?" 

Thus  made  to  feel  at  their  ease  in  his  presence, 
the  shorter  one  of  the  two  made  known  their 
errand.  He  said  he  had  told  his  companion,  in 
a  talk  about  the  matter,  that  he  thought  him 
just  as  tall  as  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  they  had  come 


196  THE   FOREST  BOY. 

to  find  out  if  he  was  right.  Mr.  Lincoln  stepped 
back  into  the  room  and  returned  with  his  cane. 
"  Here,  young  man,"  he  said,  speaking  to  the 
taller  one,  "  stand  against  the  wall  under  this 
cane."  He  then  adjusted  it  to  his  height. 
"Now,"  he  continued,  "step  out  and  let  me 
stand  under  it."  He  then  placed  himself  under 
the  cane,  as  the  young  man  held  it,  moving  his 
head  back  and  forth  to  ascertain  if  it  just 
reached  it.  "  There,"  said  he,  smiling,  as  he 
stepped  out,  "  you  and  I  are  just  of  a  height ; 
your  friend  has  made  a  remarkable  guess." 

He  shook  hands  with  them  cordially  as  they 
parted,  not  giving  them  the  slightest  occasion  to 
think  that  he  felt  his  dignity  offended  by  the 
nature  of  their  call.  Soon  after  the  young  men 
had  retired  a  plainly-dressed  and  honest-look 
ing  countrywoman  entered,  and  introduced  her 
self  as  one  with  whom  he  had  been  acquainted 
on  his  "  circuit."  He  did  not  at  once  recognize 
her,  but  she  readily  brought  their  acquaintance 
to  his  recollection  by  several  incidents  such  as 
were  sure  to  attend  upon  any  period  of  Mr. 


THE   FOKEST  BOY.  197 

Lincoln's  history.  This  point  gained,  she 
wished  to  remind  him  of  a  dinner  of  bread  and 
milk  which  he  once  ate  at  her  house.  Mr.  Lin 
coln  could  not  remember  that ;  he  remembered 
taking  several  very  excellent  dinners  with  her, 
but  he  could  not  remember  one  upon  bread  and 
milk.  "  Why,"  said  the  good  woman,  with 
kindling  emotions,  "  you  called  once  quite  late. 
We  had  been  to  dinner,  and  I  felt  bad  because 
I  had  nothing  but  bread  and  milk  to  give  you. 
You  ate  that,  and  when  you  had  done  you  ex 
claimed,  'I  have  had  a  good  dinner;  good 
enough  for  the  President  of  the  United  States  /'" 
It  was  the  impression  that  these  last  words 
made  upon  her  mind,  now  revived  and  deep 
ened  by  his  prospect  of  being  President,  which 
caused  her  to  walk  that  morning  eight  miles  to 
repeat  them  to  Mr.  Lincoln,  feeling  perhaps 
that  they  were  a  prophetic  assurance  of  his 
success. 

Some  of  the  calls  he  received  conveyed  much 
less  honest  expressions  of  friendship  ;  while  still 
others  were  of  a  more  serious  character,  being 


198  THE   FOREST   BOY. 

from  men  who  bore  a  sincere  burden  of  mind 
for  the  future  good  of  the  republic,  and  who 
came  with  words  of  counsel  and  encouragement. 
It  can  be  stated  as  a  simple  fact,  that  all  these 
callers  left  Mr.  Lincoln's  presence  with  the  im 
pression  that  he  was  a  remarkable  man. 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  199 


CHAPTEK  XXI. 

THE  WHITE  HOUSE   ENTERED. 

ON  the  sixth  of  November,  I860,  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  elected  President  of  the  United 
States.  While  the  telegraph  was  yet  flashing 
the  exciting  particulars  of  the  voting,  he  retired 
to  the  privacy  of  his  own  house.  His  nervous 
system  had  been  greatly  taxed,  and  he  threw 
himself  upon  a  lounge  in  his  chamber.  Great 
burdens  were  in  prospect  for  him,  and  he 
rejoiced  with  trembling.  Shades  of  sadness, 
so  frequent  at  a  later  period,  passed  across 
his  countenance.  Strange  imaginings,  which 
he  could  not  throw  off,  disturbed  him,  and 
gave  him,  as  he  remarked,  "  a  little  pang, 
as  though  something  uncomfortable  had  hap 
pened." 

Mrs.  Lincoln  shared  his  gloomy  forebodings, 

and  expressed  the  fear  "  that  though  he  might  be 
13 


200  THE   FOREST  BOY. 

elected  to  a  second  term  of  office,  lie  would  not 
see  life  through  the  last  term." 

Though  Mr.  Lincoln  had  these  fears  in  ref 
erence  to  himself,  he  had  none  concerning  the 
extension  and  final  triumph  of  the  principles 
for  which  he  had  just  been  appointed  President. 
The  great  mass  of  the  pious  people  of  the 
North  had  prayed  for  his  election,  and  were 
now  rendering  thanks  to  God.  Joy  prevailed 
in  the  free  states,  anger  and  fierce  resolutions 
of  resistance  among  the  slaveholders. 

After  his  election,  Mr.  Lincoln's  receptions 
at  the  executive  chamber  of  the  state-house 
became  more  burdensome.  The  log-cabin  boy 
of  the  West  had  become  the  lion  of  the  nation. 
Multitudes  came  to  see  him  daily,  to  whom  he 
spoke  freely  and  sincerely.  To  a  few  he  opened 
the  deepest  feelings  of  his  heart. 

There  was  an  earnest  Christian  friend  having 
an  office  adjoining  the  reception  room,  with 
whom,  after  the  pressure  of  the  public  recep 
tions,  he  held  deeply  interesting  and  confiden 
tial  conversations.  On  one  occasion  he  ex- 


THE   FOREST   BOY.  201 

pressed  to  him  the  anxiety  he  felt  to  have  the 
support  of  Christians,  especially  the  aid  of 
all  ministers  of  the  Gospel.  It  gave  him  pain 
to  learn  that  any  of  these  were  opposed  to  the 
measures  he  was  elected  to  support.  He  de 
clared  earnestly  his  faith  in  the  Christian's  God. 
Dark  clouds  of  rebellion  were  gathering  at  the 
South,  giving  tokens  of  the  approaching  storm  ; 
but  he  told  his  friend  that  God  was  in  these 
movements  to  overrule  them  for  his  glory  ;  that 
he  had  a  deep  conviction  that  divine  wrath 
was  to  be  poured  out  upon  the  people,  and  that 
he  was  to  be  an  actor  in  the  struggle,  though 
he  might  not  live  to  see  the  end.  He  spoke 
eloquently  of  the  solemn  grandeur  of  the  Bible 
descriptions  of  God's  wrath,  repeating  many 
passages,  especially  from  Revelation,  with  great 
power. 

It  was  one  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  faults  that  these 
deep  religious  feelings  were  expressed  only  to 
his  most  intimate  Christian  friends.  To  others, 
immediately  after  the  most  solemn  utterances, 
he  conversed  of  common, -and  not  unfrequently 


202  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

of  the  most  trifling  matters.  This  was  largely 
owing  to  marked  peculiarities  of  mind,  together 
with  a  great  lack  of  religious  instruction  in  his 
youth  and  early  manhood.  But  it  was  a  grave 
fault.  The  deeper  spiritual  experience  of  later 
years,  with  its  increased  light,  modified,  but 
did  not  wholly  remove  it. 

Soon  after  his  election  Mr.  Lincoln  visited 
Chicago.  The  people  became  wild  with  de 
light  at  the  sight  of  him,  and  the  children,  as 
might  be  expected,  shared  the  general  joy. 
One  little  fellow,  who  was  led  by  the  hand  into 
the  parlor  where  Mr.  Lincoln  was  sitting,  as  he 
caught  sight  of  him  shouted,  "  Hurrah  for  Lin 
coln  ! "  at  the  same  time  taking  off  his  hat  and 
swinging  it  over  his  head  in  true  political 
style.  It  was  a  refreshing  episode  to  the 
President  elect  from  the  dull  formality  of  hand 
shaking.  He  caught  the  little  fellow  in  his 
strong  hands,  and  tossing  him  toward  the  ceil 
ing,  exclaimed,  "Hurrah  for  you!" 

At  another  time,  while  on  this  visit,  a  little 
German  girl  was  seen  by  him  approaching 


THE    FOREST   BOY.  203 

timidly.  "  What  do  you  want,  my  little  girl  ? 
what  can  I  do  for  you?"  said  the  President. 
"  I  want  your  name,"  she  replied.  "  But  there 
are  many  other  little  girls  that  want  my  name, 
and  as  I  cannot  give  it  to  them  all,  they  will 
feel  hurt  if  I  give  it  to  you."  Assured  by  his 
pleasant  and  familiar  manner,  the  little  girl 
looked  round  upon  her  companions  and  replied, 
"  Only  eight  of  us,  sir."  Mr.  Lincoln  could 
not  resist  this  childlike  confidence,  so  he  sat 
down  amid  the  pressure  of  eager  visitors,  and 
taking  eight  sheets  of  paper,  wrote  a  line  or 
two  and  his  name  upon  each,  and  the  little 
girls  bore  away  their  mementoes,  with  blessings 
upon  the  good  President. 

On  the  llth  of  February,  1861,  Mr.  Lincoln 
turned  away  from  his  home  in  Springfield,  111., 
and  from  the  warm  and  sincere  friends  of  earlier 
days,  and  set  his  face  toward  Washington.  Al 
ready  the  enemies  of  his  country  were  making 
gigantic  efforts  to  destroy  the  government  he 
loved  better  than  any  other  earthly  good.  His 
own  life  was  threatened,  it  having  been  determ- 


204  THE  FOKEST  BOY. 

ined  bj  banded  traitors  to  kill  him  on  his  jour 
ney.  From  the  platform  of  the  railroad  car 
which  was  to  convey  him  and  his  family  away 
from  his  neighbors  he  spoke  these  words  : 

"My  friends,  no  one  not  in  my  position  can 
appreciate  the  sadness  I  feel  at  this  parting. 
To  this  people  I  owe  all  that  I  am.  Here  I  have 
lived  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century.  Here 
my  children  were  born,  and  here  one  of  them 
lies  buried.  I  know  not  how  soon  I  shall  see 
you  again.  A  duty  devolves  upon  me  which  is 
greater,  perhaps,  than  that  which  has  devolved 
upon  any  other  man  since  the  days  of  Washing 
ton.  He  never  could  have  succeeded  except 
for  the  aid  of  Divine  Providence,  upon  which 
he  at  all  times  relied.  I  feel  that  I  cannot 
succeed  without  the  same  divine  aid  that  sus 
tained  him,  and  on  the  same  Almighty  Being 
I  place  my  reliance  for  support ;  and  I  hope 
you,  my  friends,  will  pray  that  I  may  receive 
that  divine  assistance  without  which  I  cannot 
succeed,  but  with  which  success  is  certain. 
Again  I  bid  you  all  an  affectionate  farewell." 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  205 

These  farewell  words  were  borne  by  the  tele 
graph  to  every  part  of  the  country.  The  peo 
ple  were  somewhat  surprised  at  their  decided 
religious  character,  so  seldom  do  statesmen 
honor  God  from  their  high  places.  Some 
called  them  "cant,"  and  deprecated  their 
utterance ;  but  none  who  knew  Abraham  Lin 
coln  had  reason  to  doubt  their  sincerity,  though 
none,  unfortunately,  could  then  know  how  little 
these  serious  words  expressed  of  the  much  he 
really  felt  of  his  dependence  upon  God. 

The  journey  to  Washington  was  attended  by 
a  general  outburst  of  popular  favor  and  confi 
dence.  Mr.  Lincoln  replied  cordially  to  the 
many  greetings  which  he  received,  and  in  every 
speech  showed  how  deeply  he  felt  the  responsi 
bilities  which  he  was  about  to  assume.  The 
reports  of  these  occasions  thus  speak  of  the  mul 
titudes  which  thronged  him,  and  his  bearing  in 
their  midst :  "  People  plunged  at  his  arms  with 
frantic  enthusiasm,  and  all  the  infinite  variety 
of  shakes,  from  the  wild  and  irrepressible  pump- 
handle  movement  to  the  dead  grip,  was  exe- 


206  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

cuted  upon  the  devoted  dexter  and  sinister  of 
the  President.  Some  glanced  at  his  face  as 
they  grasped  his  hand;  others  invoked  the 
blessings  of  Heaven  upon  him ;  others  affection 
ately  gave  him  their  last  gasping  assurance  of 
devotion  ;  others,  bewildered  and  furious,  with 
hats  crushed  over  their  eyes,  seized  his  hand  in 
a  convulsive  grasp,  and  passed  on,  as  if  they 
had  not  the  remotest  idea  who,  what,  or  where 
they  were." 

Of  the  President  the  reporter  says :  "  At 
first  the  kindness  and  amiability  of  his  face 
strikes  you;  but  as  he  speaks  the  greatness 
and  determination  of  his  nature  are  appar 
ent.  Something  in  his  manner,  even  more 
than  in  his  words,  told  how  deeply  he  was 
affected  by  the  enthusiasm  of  the  people,  and 
when  he  appealed  to  them  for  encouragement 
and  support,  every  heart  responded  with  mute 
assurance  of  both.  There  was  the  simplicity 
of  greatness  in  his  unassuming  and  confiding 
manner,  that  won  its  way  to  instant  admiration. 
He  looked  somewhat  worn  with  travel  and  the 


THE    FOREST   BOY.  207 

fatigues  of  popularity,  but  warmed  to  the  cor 
diality  of  his  reception." 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  fully  aware,  while  thus  hon 
ored  by  the  multitude,  that  the  enemies  of  the 
holy  cause  of  human  freedom,  which  he  so 
largely  represented,  were  seeking  his  life.  An 
attempt  was  made  to  throw  the  train  from  the 
track  which  bore  him  from  Springfield.  At 
Cincinnati  hand  grenades  were  found  concealed 
in  the  cars.  The  government  were  apprised  of 
these  purposes,  and  a  vigilant  police  force  was 
put  upon  the  track  of  the  conspirators.  A 
detective  of  great  skill  and  experience  under 
took  the  management  of  the  investigations. 
His  keen  search  was  entirely  successful,  and 
when  Mr.  Lincoln  arrived  at  Philadelphia  he 
was  made  acquainted  with  the  whole  plot.  The 
persons  and  the  exact  plans  of  the  assassins 
were  known.  Mr.  Lincoln  had  an  interview, 
at  his  hotel,  with  the  detective,  and,  when  he 
had  heard  his  story,  a  way  of  escape  was  agreed 
upon.  Mr.  Lincoln  had  two  engagements  the 
next  day,  one  to  raise  the  American  flag  on 


208  THE    FOREST    BOY. 

Independence  Hall,  and  another  to  address  the 
Pennsylvania  legislature  at  Harrisburgh.  Both 
of  these  engagements  he  declared  he  would 
keep  at  the  risk  of  his  life.  The  plan  of  the 
plotters,  twenty  in  number,  was  to  crowd  about 
his  carriage  as  friends  on  his  arrival  at  Balti 
more,  and  first  shoot  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  then,  by 
throwing  hand  grenades  among  the  attendants, 
and  into  the  crowd,  escape  amid  the  slaughter 
and  confusion.  After  Mr.  Lincoln's  interview 
with  the  detective,  and  soon  after  he  had 
retired  to  rest,  he  was  aroused  by  the  announce 
ment  of  a  messenger  from  Senator  Seward  and 
General  Scott,  who  had  learned,  independently 
of  the  detective,  of  an  attempt  upon  his  life, 
and  who  urged  the  necessity  of  an  immediate 
and  quiet  entrance  into  Washington.  The 
messenger  returned  on  learning  the  plans 
of  the  detective.  On  the  next  day,  Friday,  the 
President  met  his  engagements,  and  retired 
weary,  late  in  the  afternoon,  to  his  hotel  at 
Harrisburgh  for  rest.  The  people  expected  to 
greet  him  again  when  he  should  enter  the  train 


THE  FOKEST  BOY.  209 

the  next  morning,  on  his  return  to  Philadel 
phia.  Remaining  in  his  room  until  about  six 
o'clock,  he  quietly  left  with  a  military  friend, 
and,  taking  a  carriage,  soon  entered  a  railroad 
train  in  waiting  for  him.  The  telegraph  wires 
were  cut  just  before  the  train  left,  that  no  news 
of  his  departure  might  go  before  him.  He 
arrived  at  Philadelphia  at  half  past  ten,  and 
was  accompanied  by  the  detective  in  a  carriage 
to  the  depot  of  the  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore 
Railroad,  where  the  train  was  about  starting, 
having  been  detained  fortunately  fifteen  min 
utes  beyond  its  appointed  time.  They  entered 
the  sleeping  car,  passed  quietly  through  Balti 
more  without  changing  cars,  and  arrived  in 
Washington  at  six  o'clock  Saturday  morning. 
A  friend,  sent  by  Mr.  Seward,  was  anxiously 
waiting  with  a  carriage,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  was 
soon  surrounded  by  his  friends  at  Willard's 
hotel.  The  news  of  his  safe  arrival  in  Wash 
ington  flew  over  the  country  with  lightning 
swiftness.  His  family  were  permitted  to  pass 
unmolested  to  their  journey's  end,  as  the  in- 


210  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

tended  victim  had  preceded  them.  Mr.  Lin 
coln's  enemies  were  vexed  and  astonished  at 
his  escape,  and,  to  cover  their  mortification,  set 
afloat  the  pure  fiction  of  his  stealing  into 
Washington  in  disguise.  If  it  had  been  so, 
they  only  who  made  the  necessity  would  have 
deserved  the  shame. 

On  the  fourth  of  March  Mr.  Lincoln  deliv 
ered  his  inaugural  address  on  a  platform  at  the 
east  front  of  the  capitol,  and  then  took  the  oath 
of  office,  administered  by  Chief  Justice  Taney. 
Bitter  enemies  had  determined  that  he  should 
not  see  that  moment.  They  meant  to  interpose 
the  weapons  of  death.  But  his  friends  rushed 
to  the  capital  in  large  numbers,  and  the  veteran 
General  Scott  laid  his  plans  of  defense  with 
great  skill.  Most  of  all,  God  watched  over  his 
chosen  instrument  for  the  emancipation  of  an 
oppressed  race,  and  thus  that  night  the  Forest 
Boy  of  the  "West  entered  the  White  House. 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  211 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

THE  NATION'S   "GREAT  TROUBLE." 

WHEN  Mr.  Lincoln  was  a  humble  backwoods 
young  man  he  could  sit  in  his  cabin  door,  and 
look  upon  the  grand  old  oak  or  the  wide  prairie, 
and  admire  and  enjoy  the  beauty  of  his  situa 
tion.  In  the  White  House,  built  and  beautified 
by  a  nation's  wealth,  and  furnished  with  ele 
gance,  he  was  not  allowed  a  single  moment  of 
leisure  to  sit  down  and  enjoy  his  elevated  posi 
tion.  The  rebellion  of  the  South  began  several 
months  before  he  became  President.  All 
through  the  war  which  followed  he  spoke  of  it 
sadly  as  "  the  great  trouble."  On  the  day  that 
he  became  the  head  of  the  nation  seven  South 
ern  states  had  shot  away  from  the  bright  con 
stellation  of  the  Union  into  the  darkness  of 
secession,  and  only  about  a  week  later  they 
agreed  to  form  themselves  into  a  group  called 


212  THE    FOREST    BOY. 

the  confederacy,  with  its  chief  center  at  Bich- 
mond,  Va.  Mr.  Lincoln  had  told  the  Southern 
people  that  he  was  for  peace ;  that  he  would 
not  march  soldiers  into  their  territory  if  they 
did  not  first  make  war ;  that  he  wished  to  exe 
cute  the  laws  made  by  Congress,  and  protect 
every  part  of  the  country  in  the  enjoyment  of 
its  rights.  But  the  rebels  would  not  listen  to 
his  kind  words.  He  was  for  peace,  but  they 
were  for  war.  Their  leading  men,  who  had 
held  office  at  Washington  under  the  President 
who  had  just  left  the  White  House,  had  sent 
many  thousands  of  the  arms  belonging  to  the 
United  States  into  the  South,  and  the  rebels 
stole  them  from  the  arsenals.  They  took  all 
the  forts,  with  few  exceptions,  which  were  on 
their  coasts.  These  did  not  belong  to  them, 
but  to  the  whole  people.  A  gallant  little  band 
in  Fort  Sumter,  Charleston  harbor,  refused  to 
surrender  to  them,  and  they  immediately  raised 
against  them,  on  the  nearest  land,  fortifications 
armed  with  many  heavy  guns,  and  occupied  by 
twelve  thousand  fighting  men. 


THE    FOKEST   Boy.  213 

The  rebel  rulers  marched  soldiers  toward 
Virginia,  and  boasted  that  their  flag  should 
wave  over  Faneuil  Hall,  the  cradle  of  American 
liberty.  They  wanted  to  provoke  Mr.  Lincoln 
to  commence  the  war,  that  they  might  lay  the 
blame  of  it  upon  him.  But  he  had  said  to  them 
at  first,  "  We  are  not  enemies,  but  friends.  We 
must  not  be  enemies.  Though  passion  may 
have  strained,  it  must  not  break  our  bond  of 
affection."  He  continued  to  use  the  same  kind 
language. 

While  the  rebels  in  the  South  were  thus  mak 
ing  war  upon  him,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  surrounded 
by  enemies  in  Washington.  They  were  found 
among  the  office-holders,  among  the  officers  of 
the  army  and  navy,  in  the  mansions  of  the  rich, 
and  in  the  crowded  hotels,  as  well  as  among  the 
multitudes  which  thronged  the  streets.  What 
could  he  do?  whom  could  he  trust?  It  was  a 
dreadful  time.  Timid  friends  were  afraid  he 
would  do  too  much,  and  so  prevent  a  reconcili 
ation,  which  they  still  hoped  to  see;  while  those 
who  knew  the  rebels  best  were  urging  him  to 


214  THE   FOREST   BOY. 

bolder  measures.  Through  all  these  anxious 
days  of  suspense  Mr.  Lincoln  was  enduring  ex 
hausting  labors.  Office-seekers  thronged  the 
White  House.  Great  preparations  were  being 
made  in  the  army  and  navy  to  put  down  the 
rebellion.  To  all  this  business  he  gave  his  per 
sonal  attention,  and  yet  many  of  his  friends 
blamed  him  because  they  could  not  see  his 
efforts,  and  their  immediate  results.  While  the 
enemies  of  the  Union  were  thus  bold  and  active, 
and  its  friends  irresolute  and  distrustful  of  one 
another,  the  rebels  attacked  and  took  Fort 
Sumter.  This  was  on  the  afternoon  of  April 
12,  1861.  The  guns  against  Sumter  roused  the 
loyal  people  as  from  a  deep  sleep.  They  could 
not  before  believe  that  the  South  were  really  so 
foolish  and  wicked  as  to  mean  to  make  war. 
Now  they  said,  they  have  chosen  war,  and  for 
no  good  reason ;  let  them  have  war.  It  was 
plain  now  to  the  mass  of  the  people  that  the 
Southern  leaders  wished  a  government  to 
perpetuate  and  increase  slavery,  and  if  this 
was  to  be  a  free  country,  if  there  was  to  be  any 


THE    FOKEST    Boy.  215 

free  country  in  the  world,  they  must  be  con 
quered. 

Mr.  Lincoln  soon  learned  that  he  now  had 
friends.  He  called  for  seventy-five  thousand 
soldiers.  When  the  rebel  leaders  heard  of  this 
call  they  greeted  it  with  a  shout  of  laughter; 
but  when  the  freemen  of  the  North  heard  of  it 
they  responded  with  deeds  rather  than  words. 
They  did  not  laugh,  for  they  knew  that  war 
was  a  serious  and  awful  business.  It  was  to 
them  the  call  of  duty,  and  the  farmer  left  his 
untilled  field,  the  mechanic  his  workshop,  the 
scholar  his  pursuit  of  knowledge,  and  even  the 
theological  student  left  his  sacred  studies  for 
the  camp  and  battle-field.  The  poor  heard  the 
call  and  shouldered  the  musket,  feeling  that 
they  owed  the  comfort  of  their  quiet  homes  to 
the  government  which  the  slaveholders,  always 
the  oppressors  of  the  poor,  meant  to  destroy ; 
the  rich,  and  the  sons  of  the  rich,  who  had  been 
tenderly  reared,  shared,  in  the  ranks,  the  hard 
ships  of  the  humblest.  A  man  from  Rhode 

Island,  worth  a  million  of  dollars,  who  had  just 
14 


216  THE    FOREST    BOY. 

purchased  a  passage  ticket  for  Europe,  where 
he  expected  to  travel  for  pleasure,  tore  up  the 
ticket  and  enlisted.  The  uprising  was  of  God, 
for  none  but  the  divine  power  could  so  have 
wrought  upon  the  hearts  of  a  whole  people. 
Party  feeling  was  for  the  time  lost  in  the  gen 
eral  desire  to  crush  the  rebellion.  Party  lead 
ers,  who  had  been  zealous  political  enemies, 
shook  hands,  and  labored  together  with  one 
heart.  Mr.  Lincoln's  old  opponent,  Mr.  Doug 
las,  called  upon  him,  with  a  mutual  friend,  two 
days  after  the  fall  of  Sumter.  He  called  to  tell 
Mr.  Lincoln  he  was  with  him  in  his  efforts  to 
save  the  government  from  the  hands  of  traitors. 
Mr.  Lincoln  read  to  him  the  proclamation  for 
seventy-five  thousand  men,  which  he  had  de 
cided  to  send  to  the  people  the  next  day. 
"  Make  it  two  hundred  thousand,"  exclaimed 
Mr.  Douglas ;  "  you  do  not  know  the  dishonest 
purposes  of  the  rebels  as  well  as  I  do."  From 
that  time  these  two  great  statesmen  worked 
together.  Mr.  Lincoln's  call  for  the  men,  and 
Mr.  Douglas's  approval  of  the  measure,  went 


THE   FOKEST   BOY.  217 

forth  by  telegram  the  next  morning.  Mr. 
Douglas's  voice  was  a  trumpet  call  in  Mr. 
Lincoln's  favor  to  tens  of  thousands  of  strong 
men.  Massachusetts  was  a  few  hours  in  ad 
vance  of  all  others  in  the  promptness  with 
which  she  sent  men  to  the  President's  aid. 
Some  of  her  Sixth  Regiment  heard  the  call  at 
midnight,  and  left  their  beds,  and  traveled 
many  miles  before  daylight  to  join  their  com 
panions.  On  its  way  through  Baltimore,  011 
the  nineteenth  of  April,  it  was  attacked  by  a 
mob  carrying  a  secession  flag,  and  several  of  its 
members  were  killed  or  wounded.  This  mur 
derous  opposition  to  men  marching  to  the  de 
fense  of  a  common  capital  was,  at  a  later  period 
of  the  war,  nobly  disowned  by  the  legislature 
of  Maryland.  That  body  did  what  it  could  to 
wipe  out  the  stain  upon  its  honor  made  by  these 
lawless  citizens,  and  kindly  provided  for  the 
dependent  friends  of  those  who  were  killed. 

The  sad  incident  at  Baltimore  only  increased 
the  zeal  of  the  volunteers  all  over  the  country. 
"  The  mighty  winds  blew  from  every  quarter  to 


218  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

fan  the  flame  of  the  sacred  and  unquenchable 
fire."  From  that  time  Mr.  Lincoln  had  an 
army,  and  never  again  did  the  rebel  leaders 
laugh  at  his  power !  The  Hon.  George  Ban 
croft,  in  his  "  Memorial  Address,"  thus  speaks 
of  the  bearing  and  efforts  of  Mr.  Lincoln  and 
the  loyal  people  during  this  "great  trouble:" 
"  When  it  came  home  to  the  consciousness 
of  the  Americans  that  the  war  which  they 
were  waging  was  a  war  for  the  liberty  of  all 
the  nations  of  the  world,  for  freedom  itself, 
they  thanked  God  for  giving  them  strength  to 
endure  the  severity  of  the  trial  to  which  he  put 
their  sincerity,  and  nerved  themselves  for  their 
duty  with  an  inexorable  will.  The  President 
was  led  along  by  the  greatness  of  their  self-sac 
rificing  example  ;  and  as  a  child  in  a  dark  night, 
on  a  rugged  way,  catches  hold  of  the  hand  of 
its  father  for  guidance  and  support,  he  clung 
fast  to  the  hand  of  the  people,  and  moved  calmly 
through  the  gloom.  While  the  statesmanship 
of  Europe  was  mocking  at  the  hopeless  vanity 
of  their  efforts,  they  put  forth  such  miracles  of 


THE   FOKEST   BOY.  219 

energy  as  the  history  of  the  world  had  never 
known.  The  contributions  to  the  popular  loans 
amounted  in  four  years  to  twenty-seven  and  a 
half  hundred  millions  of  dollars  ;  the  revenue  of 
the  country  from  taxation  was  increased  seven 
fold.  The  navy  of  the  United  States,  drawing 
into  the  public  service  the  willing  militia  of  the 
seas,  doubled  its  tonnage  in  eight  months,  and 
established  an  actual  blockade  from  Cape  Hat- 
teras  to  the  Rio  Grande  ;  in  the  course  of  the 
war  it  was  increased  fivefold  in  men  and  in 
tonnage,  while  the  inventive  genius  of  the 
country  devised  more  effective  kinds  of  ord 
nance,  and  new  forms  of  naval  architecture  in 
wood  and  iron.  There  went  into  the  field,  for 
various  terms  of  enlistment,  about  two  million 
of  men,  and  in  March  last  (at  the  close  of  the 
war)  the  men  in  the  army  exceeded  a  million. 
...  In  one  single  month  one  hundred  and  six 
ty-five  thousand  men  were  recruited  into  serv 
ice.  Once,  within  four  weeks,  Ohio  organized 
and  placed  in  the  field  forty-two  regiments  of 
infantry,  nearly  thirty-six  thousand  men ;  and 


220  THE   FOREST  BOY. 

Ohio  was  like  other  states  in  the  east  and  in  the 
west.  The  well-mounted  cavalry  numbered 
eighty-four  thousand  ;  of  horses  and  mules  there 
was  bought  from  first  to  last  two  thirds  of  a 
million.  In  the  movement  of  the  troops  science 
came  in  aid  of  patriotism,  so  that,  to  choose  a 
single  instance  out  of  many,  an  army  twenty- 
three  thousand  strong,  with  its  artillery,  trains, 
baggage,  and  animals,  was  moved  by  rail  from 
the  Potomac  to  the  Tennessee,  twelve  hundred 
miles,  in  seven  days.  On  the  long  marches, 
wonders  of  military  construction  bridged  the 
rivers,  and  wherever  an  army  halted  ample  sup 
plies  awaited  them  at  their  ever-changing  base. 
The  vile  thought  that  life  is  the  greatest  of 
blessings  did  not  rise  up.  In  six  hundred  and 
twenty-five  battles  and  severe  skirmishes  blood 
flowed  like  water.  It  streamed  over  the  grassy 
plains  ;  it  stained  the  rocks  ;  the  undergrowth 
of  the  forests  was  red  with  it ;  and  the  armies 
marched  on  with  majestic  courage  from  one  con 
flict  to  another,  knowing  that  they  were  fight 
ing  for  God  and  liberty.  The  organization  of 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  221 

the  medical  department  met  its  infinitely  mul 
tiplied  duties  with  exactness  and  dispatch.  At 
the  news  of  a  battle  the  best  surgeons  of  our 
cities  hastened  to  the  field  to  offer  the  untiring 
aid  of  the  greatest  experience  and  skill.  The 
gentlest  and  most  refined  of  women  left  homes 
of  luxury  and  ease  to  build  hospital  tents  near 
the  armies,  and  serve  as  nurses  to  the  sick  and 
dying.  Besides  the  large  supply  of  religious 
teachers  by  the  public,  the  congregations  spared 
to  their  brothers  in  the  field  the  ablest  ministers. 
The  Christian  Commission,  which  expended 
more  than  six  and  a  quarter  millions  of  dollars, 
sent  nearly  five  thousand  clergymen,  chosen  out 
of  the  best,  to  keep  unsoiled  the  religious  char 
acter  of  the  men,  and  made  gifts  of  clothes  and 
food  and  medicine.  The  organization  of  private 
charity  assumed  unheard-of  dimensions.  The 
Sanitary  Commission,  which  had  seven  thousand 
societies,  distributed,  under  the  direction  of  an 
unpaid  board,  spontaneous  contributions  to  the 
amount  of  fifteen  millions  in  supplies  or  money, 
a  million  and  a  half  in  money  from  California 


222  THE    FOREST   BOY. 

alone,  and  dotted  the  scene  of  war  from  Paducali 
to  Port  Koyal,  from  Belle  Plain,  Yirginia,  to 
Brownsville,  Texas,  with  homes  and  lodges." 

In  the  darkest  hours  Mr.  Lincoln  did  not  de 
spair,  though  he  bowed  before  God's  chastening 
in  great  sorrow.  In  the  hours  of  victory  he  was 
not  boastful,  but  gave  God  the  glory.  He  hes 
itated  long  before  calling  upon  the  colored  man 
for  help  ;  but  when  his  duty  seemed  plain  he  put 
many  thousands  of  negro  soldiers  into  the  army, 
and  bravely  did  they  fight  for  their  own  and  the 
white  man's  freedom.  He  waited  long  for  the 
current  of  events  to  justify  the  emancipation  of 
the  slaves  ;  but  when  God,  in  these  events,  gave 
him  the  command,  he  gladly  obeyed.  On  the 
first  of  January,  1863,  he  proclaimed  liberty  to 
three  millions  of  bondmen.  How  the  battles 
were  fought,  how  victory  for  a  long  time  wavered, 
and  how,  at  last,  it  perched  on  the  Union  stand 
ards,  may  be  learned  from  the  histories  of  the 
war.  "We  will  turn  from  the  strife  of  the  bat 
tle-field  to  become  more  acquainted  with  him 
on  whom  the  burden  so  heavily  bore. 


THE  FOREST  Boy.  223 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

LOG-CABIN  SIMPLICITY    AT    THE    WHITE   HOUSE. 

WE  have  seen  Abraham  Lincoln  among  the 
humble  laborers  of  the  forest,  a  child  of  nature, 
in  his  intercourse  with  others  never  assuming 
superiority  over  the  most  lowly,  nor  assuming  to 
be  what  he  was  not  to  obtain  the  favor  of  the 
great.  As  forest  boy,  farmer,  surveyor,  lawyer, 
and  politician,  he  had  never  yet  "  put  on  airs  " 
toward  any  he  had  ever  known  as  friends.  But 
as  President,  sitting  in  a  chair  more  honorable 
than  a  throne,  and  having  a  power  greater  than 
that  of  any  king  or  emperor,  surrounded  by  the 
mighty  men  of  his  own  people  and  the  repre 
sentatives  of  all  the  great  nations  of  the  world, 
could  the  common  people  approach  him  freely  ? 
could  the  poor  tell  him  their  wrongs  and  sor 
rows,  and  obtain  his  sympathy  and  help  ?  could 
his  log-cabin  friends  of  earlier  and  humbler 


THE    FOREST   BOY. 

clays  be  admitted  to  his  presence,  and  be  recog 
nized  on  the  old  familiar  terms?  These  are 
natural  inquiries,  and  such  as  did  actually  inter 
est  the  masses  of  the  American  people  when 
Mr.  Lincoln  entered  the  presidential  mansion. 
We  shall  answer  them  by  such  well-attested 
facts  as  have  come  within  our  knowledge. 

Mr.  John  Hanks,  a  relative  of  Mr.  Lincoln, 
his  playmate  in  boyhood,  and  his  helper  in  split 
ting  rails  and  making  log-cabins,  shalF  be  the 
first  witness.  The  following  testimony  was  re 
ceived,  by  the  writer  of  this  volume,  from  Mr. 
Hanks's  own  lips.  He  says  :  "  Soon  after  Mr. 
Lincoln's  first  inauguration  I  called  at  the 
White  House,  and  sent  up  my  name.  I  trem 
bled  a  little,  but  said  to  myself,  Don't  I  know 
Abe  Lincoln,  and  don't  he  know  John  Hanks  ? 
Still  the  thought  kept  crowding  into  my  mind, 
Abe's  a  long  way  out  of  sight  of  John  now. 
Soon  the  messenger  returned,  saying,  The  Pres 
ident  says,  Come  up.  I  entered  the  office  where 
Mr.  Lincoln  was  sitting,  surrounded,  it  seemed 
to  me,  by  all  the  great  men  of  the  country. 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  225 

Rising  from  his  seat,  and  stepping  forward  to 
meet  me,  he  seized  my  extended  hand  with  both 
of  his,  exclaiming,  '  John,  I'm  glad  to  see  you ! 
How  do  you  do  ?  How  is  your  family  ? '  It 
was  the  welcome  of  other  years,  and  I  forgot 
that  he  was  President,  and  replied  :  c  I'm  pretty 
well,  I  thank  you,  Abe ;  how's  your  folks  ? ' 
After  we  had  chatted  a  while  he  asked  me  to 
come  again,  and  I  did  call  upon  him  several 
times,  and  he  never  seemed  to  feel  above  his  old 
friend  of  the  Illinois  log-cabin." 

Mr.  Lincoln  spoke  of  the  reception-room  in 
the  White  House  as  "  this  place,"  and  some 
times  more  familiarly  as  "the  shop,"  and  re 
marked  jocosely,  when  he  was  going  to  attend 
the  tedious  business  and  ceremonious  calls  there, 
that  he  was  going  to  "  open  shop."  Tuesdays 
and  Fridays  he  met  his  counselors,  the  heads  of 
the  several  great  departments  of  government,  in 
a  private  "  cabinet  meeting."  All  other  week 
days  his  reception-room  was  open.  Callers  were 
requested  to  wait  in  the  ante-chamber,  and  send 
in  their  cards ;  and  from  the  cards  laid  before 


226  THE    FOREST    BOY. 

him  lie  had  visitors  ushered  in,  giving  prece 
dence  to  acquaintance.  Three  or  four  hours 
each  day  they  poured  in,  succeeding  each  other 
rapidly,  and  nine  out  of  ten  asking  for  office. 
He  heard  all  patiently,  and  spoke  to  all  in  a 
manner  so  natural  and  easy  as  to  make  them 
feel  entirely  free  in  his  presence. 

Having  given  the  testimony  of  his  Illinois 
friend  concerning  his  frankness  in  the  White 
House,  we  will  call  upon  Goldwin  Smith,  a  dis 
tinguished  Englishman,  and  a  professor  in  one 
of  his  country's  great  universities,  for  his  impres 
sion  of  Mr.  Lincoln  at  the  executive  mansion. 
He  says :  "  You  pass  into  the  President's  room 
of  business  through  an  ante-room,  which  has  no 
doubt  been  passed  by  many  an  applicant  for 
office  and  many  an  intriguer.  There  is  no 
formality,  nothing  in  the  shape  of  a  guard ;  and 
if  this  man  is  really  '  a  tyrant  worse  than  Robes 
pierre,'  he  must  have  great  confidence  in  the 
long-sufferance  of  his  kind.  The  room  is  a  com 
mon  office,  the  only  ornament  which  struck  the 
writer's  eye  being  a  photograph  of  John  Bright. 


THE  FOEEST  BOY.  227 

"  Mr.  Lincoln's  manner  and  address  are 
perfectly  simple,  modest,  and  unaffected,  and 
therefore  free  from  all  vulgarity  in  the  eyes  of 
all  not  vulgar  themselves.  The  language  of 
the  President,  like  'his  demeanor,  was  per 
fectly  simple.  He  did  not  let  fall  a  single 
coarse  or  vulgar  phrase,  and  all  his  words  had 
a  meaning." 

Mr.  Carpenter,  the  painter  of  the  picture 
"  Signing  the  Emancipation  Proclamation," 
thus  speaks  of  his  first  interview  with  Mr.  Lin 
coln.  He  had  formed  the  purpose  of  painting 
such  a  picture,  and  having  obtained  a  letter  of 
introduction  to  the  President  from  the  Hon. 
Mr.  Lovejoy,  he  directed  his  steps  toward  the 
White  House.  He  says :  "  My  first  interview 
with  the  President  took  place  at  the  customary 
Saturday  afternoon  public  reception.  Never 
shall  I  forget  the  thrill  which  went  through  my 
whole  being  as  I  first  caught  sight  of  that  tall, 
gaunt  form  through  a  distant  door,  bowed  down, 
it  seemed  to  me,  even  then,  with  the  weight  of 
the  nation  he  carried  upon  his  heart,  as  a  mother 


228  THE    FOEEST   BOY. 

carries  her  suffering  child,  and  thought  of  the 
place  he  held  in  the  affection  of  the  people,  and 
the  prayers  ascending  constantly,  day  after  day, 
in  his  behalf.  The  crowd  was  passing  through 
the  rooms,  and  presently  it  was  my  turn  and 
name  to  be  announced.  Greeting  me  very 
pleasantly,  he  soon  afterward  made  an  appoint 
ment  to  see  me  in  the  official  chamber  directly 
after  close  of  the  c  reception.'  The  hour  named 
found  me  at  the  well-remembered  door  of  the 
apartment,  that  door  watched  daily  with  so 
many  conflicting  emotions  of  hope  and  fear  by 
the  miscellaneous  throng  gathered  there.  The 
President  was  alone,  and  already  deep  in  official 
business,  which  was  always  pressing.  He  re 
ceived  me  with  the  frank  kindness  and  simplic 
ity  so  characteristic  of  his  nature,  and  after 
reading  Mr.  Lovejoy's  note,  said :  '  Well,  Mr. 
Carpenter,  we  will  turn  you  in  loose  here  and 
try  to  give  you  a  good  chance  to  work  out  your 
idea.'  .  .  .  The  President  seemed  much  in 
terested  in  my  work  from  the  first,  but  as  it 
progressed  his  interest  increased.  I  occupied 


Viewing    Carpenter   at   Work 


on    the    Picture. 


THE   FOREST  BOY.  231 

for  a  studio  the  spacious  c  state  dining-room '  of 
the  White  House  in  the  southwestern  corner  of 
the  mansion.  He  was  in  the  habit  of  bringing 
many  friends  in  to  see  what  advance  I  was 
making  from  day  to  day,  and  I  have  known  him 
to  come  by  himself  as  many  as  three  or  four 
times  in  a  single  day.  It  seemed  a  pleasant 
diversion  to  him  to  watch  the  gradual  progress 
of  the  work,  and  his  suggestions,  though  some 
times  quaint  and  homely,  were  almost  invariably 
excellent.  Seldom  was  he  ever  heard  to  allude 
to  anything  which  might  be  construed  into  a 
personality  in  connection  with  any  member  of 
the  cabinet.  On  one  occasion,  however,  I  re 
member  with  a  sly  twinkle  of  the  eye  he  turned 
to  a  senatorial  friend  whom  he  had  brought  in 
to  see  the  picture,  and  said,  '  Mrs.  Lincoln  calls 
Mr.  Carpenter's  group,  The  Happy  Family.'' 
.  .  .  There  was  a  satisfaction  to  me  simply  in 
sitting  in  the  room  with  him,  though  no  words 
might  be  uttered,  perhaps,  for  long  intervals. 
Apparently  absorbed  with  my  pencil,  and  he 
with  his. papers,  he  would  sometimes  seem  to 


232  THE   FOREST  BOY. 

forget  my  presence  entirely.  It  was  at  such 
times  that  I  loved  to  study  him.  Frequently 
when  persons  were  admitted  upon  business,  be 
fore  entering  upon  confidential  discussions,  they 
would  turn  an  inquiring  eye  upon  me,  which 
Mr.  Lincoln  would  meet  by  saying,  c  O,  you 
need  not  mind  him;  he  is  but  a  painter.' 
There  was  never  a  feeling  of  restraint  or  con 
straint  on  my  part ;  his  personal  magnetism  was 
so  great,  to  hear  him  was  like  getting  into  the 
sunshine!  As  I  now  look  back  upon  those 
privileged  days,  my  heart  is  stirred  with  affec 
tion  for  the  just  and  noble  man,  second  only  to 
the  filial  regard  due  a  parent.  It  has  been  my 
fortune  to  mingle  quite  freely,  in  my  profes 
sional  life,  with  many  distinguished  public  men. 
I  have  said  repeatedly  to  friends,  that  I  never 
knew  one  so  utterly  unconscious  of  distinction 
or  power  as  Mr.  Lincoln.  He  seemed  to  forget 
himself  in  the  magnitude  of  his  responsibilities. 
Under  all  circumstances  he  was  precisely  the 
same — plain,  unostentatious,  truth-loving,  pure, 
and  good.  Dr.  Stone,  his  family  physician  in 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  233 

Washington,  once  said  to  me,  c  I  tell  you,  Mr. 
Lincoln  is  the  purest  hearted  man  I  ever  knew.' ': 
Mr.  Lincoln  was  at  one  time  about  to  leave 
the  White  House  for  a  drive  to  the  "  Sailors' 
Home."  The  carriage  was  at  the  gate,  and 
"  the  Black  Horse  Cavalry  "  in  attendance  as  a 
guard.  As  Mr.  Lincoln  reached  the  iron  fence 
a  plain-looking  man  approached  him  timidly. 
He  had  a  difficulty  which  he  desired  the  Pres 
ident  to  settle  for  him.  Mr.  Lincoln  stopped, 
threw  his  arm  over  the  fence,  placed  his  foot 
upon  its  stone  foundations,  and  patiently  heard 
the  man  while  he,  slowly  and  with  great  diffi 
dence,  told  his  complaint.  When  he  had  fin 
ished,  Mr.  Lincoln  took  a  card  and  pencil,  and, 
sitting  down  upon  the  low  stone  coping,  almost 
seeming  to  sit  upon  the  pavements,  wrote  upon 
the  card  to  the  official  concerned,  "  Examine 
this  man's  case."  People  passing  by  looked  at 
the  head  of  the  nation  thus  seated,  and  then  at 
one  another,  seeming  to  say,  "How  undignified." 
The  President's  absorbing  thought  was  how  he 

could  lift  a  burden  from  one  of  the  citizens  of 
15 


234:  THE   FOREST   BOY. 

the  republic,  however  humble.  The  deed  done, 
two  hearts  went  lighter  to  their  respective  ways. 

Mr.  Lincoln's  frankness  is  strikingly  shown  in 
his  treatment  at  the  White  House  of  his  colored 
guests.  His  honest,  hearty  cordiality  knew  no 
difference  of  race  or  condition. 

The  first  call  upon  the  President  of  Frederick 
Douglass,  the  well-known  antislavery  lecturer, 
was  one  of  mutual  satisfaction.  Some  months 
afterward  Mr.  Lincoln,  hearing  that  Mr.  Douglass 
was  in  the  city,  desired  to  consult  him  on  points  of 
executive  duty,  in  reference  to  which  he  thought 
his  opinion  valuable.  The  presidential  carriage 
was  sent  to  his  boarding-house  with  the  message, 
"  Come  up  and  take  a  cup  of  tea."  The  invita 
tion  was  accepted,  and  the  President  and  his 
guest  enjoyed  a  pleasant  chat.  Mr.  Douglass  re 
marked  afterward,  that  by  no  word  or  look  dur 
ing  the  interview  was  he  made  to  feel  that  he 
was  a  negro. 

An  earnest  friend  of  the  much- wronged  negro 
republic  of  Hayti  was  once  urging  upon  Mr. 
Lincoln  his  desire  that  the  United  States  should 


THE    FOKEST   BOY.  235 

"  recognize  "  that  government,  and,  thinking  to 
make  the  matter  more  acceptable  to  him,  re 
marked  that  probably  the  President  of  Hayti 
would  send,  as  a  representative  to  Washington, 
not  a  negro,  but  some  one  of  the  educated  men 
of  mixed  blood,  who  might  be  regarded  as  a 
Spanish  American  white  man.  Mr.  Lincoln 
replied  with  much  animation,  "  I  don't  see  the 
necessity  for  that.  An  educated  black  man 
would  be  as  dignified,  I  have  no  doubt,  as  a 
ginger-colored  one." 

Toward  the  close  of  one  of  the  public  "  re 
ceptions,"  in  the  early  part  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  ad 
ministration,  when  the  rush  of  visitors  was  in  a 
measure  abated,  a  group  of  negroes  in  their 
"  finest "  attire  were  seen  in  earnest  consultation 
on  the  lawn  in  front  of  the  executive  mansion. 
Finally  they  started  together,  and  ascended  the 
stairs  to  the  reception  room.  They  approached 
the  President  hesitatingly  ;  but  the  moment  he 
saw  them  he  stepped  forward  to  meet  them, 
saying,  "  I  am  glad  to  see  you,"  giving  each  a 
hearty  shake  of  the  hand.  When  they  reached 


THE  FOKEST  BOY. 

the  street  again  they  paused,  and  sent  up  a 
shout  for  "Linkum,"  which  was  followed  by 
more  quiet  exclamations  of  "  God  bless  Mr. 
Linkum,"  as  they  disappeared  down  the  crowded 
street. 

Three  little  girls,  daughters  of  a  mechanic, 
neatly  but  plainly  dressed,  went  into  the  White 
House  one  reception  day.  After  curiously  gaz 
ing,  as  they  were  swept  along  in  the  crowd,  first 
at  the  President  and  then  at  the  objects  about 
them,  not  having  courage  to  offer  him  their 
hands,  as  others  did,  they  were  about  to  pass  by. 
But  Mr.  Lincoln  saw  them,  and  called  out, 
"  Little  girls,  are  you  going  to  pass  me  without 
shaking  hands  3 "  He  then  left  unnoticed  for  a 
moment  all  others,  and,  stooping  over,  shook 
the  hand  of  each  child. 

A  lady  who  was  visiting  Washington  wrote 
the  following  incidents,  which  came  under  her 
own  observation,  to  her  friends  in  Massachusetts  : 
"  A  negro  came  to  ask  the  President  for  a  pass, 
and  remonstrated  with  him  because  he  told  him 
he  must  go  to  get  advice  from  a  certain  officer. 


THE    FOKEST   BOY.  237 

4  But  it  is  all  the  way  to  the  Capitol,'  said  the 
negro,  '  and  it  is  so  cold  to-day.  I  can  tell  you 
myself  that  I  am  all  right.'  So  the  President 
yielded,  and  heard  him  prove  his  locality  by 
asking  questions  of  him.  An  Irish  boy  came 
in  about  the  same  time,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  said, 
"Well,  did  you  get  the  place?'  cE"o,  sir;  I 
want  another  recommend.'  '  Where  is  the  one 
I  gave  you  ? '  '  I  lost  it.'  '  Careless  !  I  have  a 
great  mind  not  to  give  you  another.'  It  was 
the  father  of  the  nation  dealing  with  his  chil 
dren ;  generally  patient,  but  sometimes  fretted." 

It  would  have  been  remarkable  indeed  if  Mr. 
Lincoln  had  never  "  fretted,"  nor  shown  indig 
nation  at  the  spirit  and  conduct  of  some  who 
approached  him  for  favors. 

Two  women  once  came  into  the  reception- 
room  to  urge  some  request  which  they  deemed 
very  important.  The  younger  one,  not  meeting 
with  the  success  she  desired,  used  very  saucy 
language  to  the  President.  This  was  going  a 
little  too  far,  and  he  called  "  Old  Daniel,"  and 
bid  him  show  them  the  way  out  of  the  room. 


238  THE   FOKEST   BOY. 

The  indignant  servant  obeyed  with  a  hearty 
good-will. 

A  man  who  had  been  an  officer  in  the  army, 
but  was  dismissed  in  disgrace,  came  with  his 
complaints  to  Mr.  Lincoln.  He  heard  his  story, 
and  told  him  he  could  do  nothing  for  him. 
But  the  man  would  not  be  refused,  and  not  only 
wearied  him  by  his  continual  coming,  but  finally 
used  insulting  language.  The  President  did 
not  feel  that  he  ought  to  suffer  that  without  re 
proof.  He  laid  aside  his  papers,  arose  calmly, 
but  with  an  earnestness  before  which  the  offend 
er  quailed,  led  him  to  the  door,  and  thrust  him 
out,  saying,  "  Sir,  I  give  you  fair  warning, 
never  to  show  yourself  in  this  room  again.  I 
can  bear  censure,  but  not  insult." 

Such  evidences  of  exhausted  patience  very 
seldom  occurred  at  the  White  House,  but 
such  melting  scenes  as  the  following  were 
frequently  witnessed.  It  is  described  by  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Henderson,  of  Louisville,  Kentucky : 
"  Among  a  large  number  of  persons  waiting  in 
the  room  to  speak  with  Mr.  Lincoln  on  a  cer- 


THE   FOKEST  BOY.  239 

tain  day  in  November,  1864,  was  a  small,  pale, 
delicate-looking  boy  about  ten  years  old.  The 
President  saw  him  standing,  looking  feeble  and 
faint,  and  said,  '  Come  here,  my  boy,  and  tell 
me  what  you  want.'  The  boy  advanced,  placed 
his  hand  on  the  arm  of  the  President's  chair, 
and,  with  bowed  head  and  timid  accents,  said : 
'  Mr.  President,  I  have  been  a  drummer  in  a 
regiment  for  two  years,  and  my  colonel  got 
angry  with  me  and  turned  me  off.  I  was  taken 
sick,  and  have  been  a  long  time  in  hospital. 
This  is  the  first  time  I  have  been  out,  and  I 
came  to  see  if  you  could  not  do  something  for 
me.'  The  President  looked  at  him  kindly  and 
tenderly,  and  asked  him  where  he  lived.  'I 
have  no  home,'  answered  the  boy.  i  Where  is 
your  father  ? '  6  He  died  in  the  army,'  was  the 
reply.  '  Where  is  your  mother  ? '  continued  the 
President.  c  My  mother  is  dead  also.  I  have 
no  mother,  no  father,  no  brothers,  no  sisters, 
and,'  bursting  into  tears,  he  added,  '  no  friends  ; 
nobody  cares  for  me.'  Mr.  Lincoln's  eyes  filled 
with  tears,  and  he  said  to  him,  '  Can't  you  sell 


240  THE    FOREST   BOY. 

newspapers  ? '  i  No,'  said  the  boy ;  4 1  am  too 
weak,  and  the  surgeon  of  the  hospital  told  me  I 
must  leave,  and  I  have  no  money,  and  no  place 
to  go  to.'  The  scene  was  wonderfully  affecting. 
The  President  drew  forth  a  card,  and  addressing 
a  certain  official,  to  whom  his  request  was 
law,  gave  special  directions  to  c  care  for  this  poor 
boy.'  The  wan  face  of  the  little  drummer  lit  up 
with  a  happy  smile  as  he  received  the  paper, 
and  he  went  away  convinced  that  he  had  one 
good  and  true  friend  at  least  in  the  person  of  the 
President." 

One  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  old  friends  and  his  wife, 
from  the  West,  visiting  Washington,  were  recog 
nized  with  the  cordiality  of  their  former  inter 
views.  On  one  occasion  they  received  at  their 
hotel,  from  the  White  House,  a  card  inviting 
them  to  a  ride  in  the  presidential  carriage. 
While  waiting  its  arrival  the  question  arose 
whether  he  should  receive  the  President  in 
gloves,  the  article  never  having  been  used  by 
either  of  them  in  the  days  of  their  former  ac 
quaintance,  except  as  a  protection  from  the  cold. 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  241 

In  the  mean  time  Mr.  Lincoln,  as  lie  was  about 
stepping  into  his  carriage,  was  discussing  the 
same  question.  The  ladies  in  both  cases  advised 
gloves,  and  the  friend  put  his  on,  while  Mr. 
Lincoln  compromised  the  matter  by  putting  his 
into  his  pocket,  to  be  used  as  occasion  suggested. 

When  the  parties  were  well  seated  in  the 
carriage,  Mr.  Lincoln  began  slyly  to  draw  on  his 
gloves,  while  the  friend  was  as  diligently  work 
ing  his  off.  Discerning  the  state  of  affairs,  they 
both  burst  into  a  hearty  laugh,  which  the  Pres 
ident  enjoyed  exceedingly,  and  they  were  soon 
talking  earnestly  together  ungloved,  and  on  the 
old  familiar  footing. 

A  good-sized  volume  might  be  made  of  such 
illustrations  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  freedom  from  the 
pride  of  station,  and  his  maintenance  of  a  child 
like  simplicity  of  character  while  in  the  exercise 
of  an  official  power  which  shaped  the  destinies 
of  millions  of  the  human  race. 

We  shall  next  observe  him  a  little  more 
closely,  and  shall  find  that  in  the  nobler  quali- 
ities  of  the  heart  he  is  equally  worthy  our  study. 


24:2  THE   FOREST  BOY. 


CHAPTEE  XXIV. 

TENDERNESS  AND  SYMPATHY. 

THE  dreadful  consequences  of  the  slaveholders' 
war,  which  made  so  many  desolate  homes  and 
so  many  bleeding  hearts,  came  of  course  imme 
diately  under  the  President's  notice.  None 
knew  the  sorrows  of  the  people  better  than  he, 
and  none  felt  them  more  keenly.  He  did  not 
hide  himself  in  his  immediate  official  duties,  and 
keep  individual  suifering  out  of  sight.  He 
rather  sought  to  know  that  he  might  relieve  it. 
He  brought  from  the  log-cabin  to  the  White 
House  not  only  a  cordial  greeting  for  all  classes 
of  the  people,  but  also  a  desire  to  promote  their 
welfare  to  the  full  extent  of  his  influence. 
Having  such  feelings,  it  is  not  strange  that  the 
soldiers  and  their  friends  should  have  been  the 
special  subjects  of  his  kind  solicitude. 

In  the  summer  of  1862  a  young  man  belong- 


THE  FOKEST  BOY.  243 

ing  to  a  Yermont  regiment  was  tried  for  sleep 
ing  at  his  post,  and  sentenced  to  be  shot.  The 
day  was  fixed  for  the  execution,  and  the  young 
soldier  prepared  calmly  for  his  fate,  without 
even  requesting  efforts  for  his  pardon.  But  the 
President  had  been  informed  of  the  sentence, 
and  he  gave  the  case  his  immediate  attention. 
He  learned  that  the  youth  had  been  brought 
under  sentence  of  death  by  a  noble  effort,  not 
only  to  do  all  his  own  duty  to  his  country,  but 
also  to  aid  a  fellow-soldier  in  the  discharge  of 
his.  He  had  been  on  duty  one  night,  and  on 
the  following  night  he  volunteered  to  take  the 
place  of  a  companion  whom  he  deemed  too  sick 
to  stand  guard  himself.  On  the  third  night  he 
was  again  called  out ;  but  nature  was  too  strong 
for  his  manly  resolution,  and  sleep  overpowered 
him  at  his  post.  Mr.  Lincoln  signed  his  pardon, 
and  sent  it  to  the  camp.  The  morning  before 
the  execution  having  arrived,  the  President,  not 
having  heard  whether  the  pardon  had  reached 
the  officers  concerned,  began  to  feel  uneasy. 
He  ordered  a  telegram  to  be  sent  to  the  camp, 


244:  THE  FOREST  Boy. 

but  received  no  answer.  State  papers  could 
not  fix  his  thoughts,  and  the  burdens  of  the  na 
tion  at  large  could  not  banish  from  his  mind 
the  critical  situation  of  the  periled  soldier-boy. 
He  must  know  that  he  was  safe.  He  ordered 
the  carriage,  and  over  a  dusty  road  and  beneath 
a  scorching  sun  rode  rapidly  ten  miles.  Having 
ascertained  tKat  the  pardon  was  received  and 
the  execution  averted,  he  returned  to  busy  him 
self  again  in  great  concerns,  and  to  forget  per 
haps  the  incident ;  but  the  one  whose  life  was 
saved  did  not  forget  it,  nor  fail  of  the  deepest 
gratitude.  Before  coming  to  the  war  he  had 
given  his  heart  to  God,  and  he  had  lived  a 
Christian  life  in  camp.  In  pardoning  him  the 
President  had  not  only  secured  his  continued 
prayers,  but  increased  their  fervency.  "When 
the  campaign  opened  in  the  following  spring 
the  young  man  was  with  his  regiment  near 
Yorktown,  Ya.  They  were  ordered  to  attack 
a  fort,  and  he  fell  by  the  first  volley  of  the  en 
emy.  His  comrades  caught  him  up,  and  bore 
him,  bleeding  and  dying,  from  the  field. 


THE   FOREST   BOY.  245 

"  Bear  witness,"  he  said,  "  that  I  have  proved 
myself  not  a  coward,  and  I  am  not  afraid  to 
die."  Then,  making  a  last  eifort,  his  dying 
breath  was  spent  in  a  prayer  for  Abraham. 
Lincoln ! 

A  personal  friend  of  the  President  says  he 
called  upon  him  in  the  early  part  of  the  war, 
and  found  him  holding  in  his  hand  the  freshly 
signed  pardon  of  a  young  soldier  who  had  been 
sentenced  to  be  shot  for  sleeping  at  his  post. 
He  remarked,  as  he  read  it  to  his  friend,  "  I 
could  not  think  of  going  into  eternity  with  the 
blood  of  this  poor  young  man  upon  my  skirts. 
It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  a  boy  raised  on 
a  farm,  probably  in  the  habit  of  going  to  bed  at 
dusk,  should,  when  required  to  watch,  fall 
asleep ;  and  I  cannot  consent  to  shoot  him  for 
such  an  act." 

The  body  of  this  young  man  was  found  among 
the  dead  on  the  bloody  field  of  Fredericksburgh. 
Near  his  heart  lay  the  photograph  of  his  pre 
server,  under  which  was  written,  "  God  bless 
President  Lincoln." 


246  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

A  poor  washerwoman  of  Troy  had  a  son, 
weak  in  mind,  but  strong  in  body.  Some  vil 
lainous  "  enlisters "  persuaded  him  into  the 
army,  and  put  the  bounty  money  into  their 
pockets.  The  poor  mother  for  a  long  time,  in 
vain,  sought  her  boy  about  the  city.  Finally, 
learning  that  he  had  entered  the  army,  she 
found  her  way  to  "Washington.  Friendless, 
poor,  not  knowing  what  New  York  regiment 
her  son  was  in,  what  could  she  do.  She  failed 
for  some  time  to  see  the  President,  but  finally 
intercepted  him  in  his  walk  from  the  War 
Department  to  the  "White  House.  ~No  dark 
ened  brow  nor  cold  words  repelled  the  suffering 
mother.  He  heard  her  story,  took  out  a  card, 
wrote  the  boy's  name  and  residence,  and  sent  it 
to  the  War  Department,  with  the  command : 

"  Find  this  poor  boy,  and  return  him  to  his 
mother.  "A.  LINCOLN." 

"  Old  Daniel,"  the  well-known  servant  at  the 
"White  House,  tells  the  following  story  to  Mr. 
Carpenter :  A  poor  man  of  Philadelphia  had 
furnished  a  substitute  for  the  army,  but  was 


THE  FOKEST  BOY.  247 

afterward  made  intoxicated  by  some  wicked 
companions,  and  thus  induced  to  enlist.  Yexed 
with  himself,  and  all  concerned  in  the  matter, 
he  deserted  soon  after  reaching  the  army,  was 
arrested,  tried,  and  sentenced  to  be  shot.  He 
was  to  die  on  Saturday,  and  on  the  preceding 
Monday  his  wife,  with  a  babe  in  her  arms,  was 
watching  at  the  door  of  the  President's  recep 
tion-room.  For  nearly  three  days  she  waited 
in  vain.  At  the  end  of  the  third  day  the  Presi 
dent  was  passing  by  the  ante-room  through  a 
private  passage  to  go  for  rest  and  refreshment 
to  his  room.  Daniel  says :  "  On  his  way  through 
he  heard  the  baby  cry.  He  instantly  went  back 
to  his  office  and  rung  the  bell.  f  Daniel,'  said 
he,  '  is  there  a  woman  with  a  baby  in  the  ante 
room  ? '  I  said  there  was,  and,  if  he  would 
permit  me  to  say  it,  I  thought  it  was  a  case  he 
ought  to  see,  for  it  was  a  matter  of  life  and 
death.  He  said,  l  Send  her  to  me  at  once.' 
She  went  in,  told  her  story,  and  the  President 
pardoned  her  husband.  As  the  woman  came 
out  from  his  presence  her  eyes  were  lifted,  and 


248  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

her  lips  moving  in  prayer,  the  tears  streaming 
down  her  cheeks.  *  I  went  up  to  her,  and  pull 
ing  her  shawl,  said,  i  Madam,  it  was  the  baby 
that  did  it'" 

A  correspondent  of  the  Chicago  Tribune  re 
lates  the  following  anecdote :  "  I  dropped  in 
upon  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  found  him  busily  en 
gaged  in  counting  greenbacks.  '  This,  sir,' 
said  he,  l  is  something  out  of  my  usual  line ;  but 
a  President  of  the  United  States  has  a  multi 
plicity  of  duties  not  specified  in  the  Constitution 
nor  acts  of  Congress ;  this  is  one  of  them.  The 
money  belongs  to  a  poor  negro,  who  is  a  porter 
in  the  Treasury  Department,  who  is  at  present 
very  sick  with  the  small-pox.  He  is  now  in  the 
hospital,  and  could  not  draw  his  pay,  because, 
he  could  not  sign  his  name.  I  have  been  at 
considerable  trouble  to  overcome  the  difficulty, 
and  get  it  for  him.  I  am  now  dividing  the 
money,  and  putting  by  a  portion  labeled  with 
my  own  hand,  according  to  his  wish ;'  and  his 
excellency  proceeded  to  indorse  the  package 
very  carefully." 


THE   FOREST   BOY.  249 

During  a  reception  day,  after  a  crowd  of 
eager  seekers  had  been  in  the  presence  of  Mr. 
Lincoln,  it  came  at  last  the  turn  of  a  woman 
who  had  been  long  and  anxiously  waiting.  She 
was  somewhat  advanced  in  years,  and  plainly 
clad,  a  faded  shawl  being  thrown  over  her 
shoulders,  and  a  much  worn  hood  covering  her 
head.  Her  story,  simply  stated,  was  of  itself 
an  eloquent  appeal.  Her  husband  and  three 
sons,  all  she  had,  had  enlisted.  Her  husband 
had  been  killed  in  battle.  Could  she  ask  less 
of  the  country  to  whom  she  had  given  so  much 
than  the  return  of  her  eldest  son  ?  The  Presi 
dent  heard  this  request,  and  said,  "Certainly, 
if  her  prop  was  taken  away,  she  was  justly  en 
titled  to  one  of  her  boys,"  and  he  immediately 
wrote  an  order  for  the  discharge  of  the  eldest. 
She  gratefully  took  the  order,  and  sought  him 
at  the  encampment  of  his  regiment;  but  the 
burden  of  her  sorrowing  heart  was  increased  on 
learning  that  the  object  of  her  love  and  search 
had  been  wounded  in  a  recent  battle,  and  lay 

sick  in  a  hospital.     She  reached  the  side  of  his 
16 


250  THE    FOKEST    BOY. 

cot  only  in  time  to  comfort  his  dying  moments 
with  a  mother's  blessing.  She  saw  him  laid  in 
a  soldier's  grave,  and  hastened  again  to  the 
President  with  his  order,  on  the  back  of  which 
was  stated  by  the  surgeon  of  the  hospital  the 
sad  facts  concerning  the  one  it  was  intended  to 
discharge.  He  was  much  moved  by  her  story, 
and  said,  "  I  know  what  you  want  me  to  do 
now,  and  I  shall  do  it  without  your  asking.  I 
shall  release  to  you  your  second  son."  Taking 
up  his  pen,  he  began  to  write  the  order,  while 
the  almost  broken-hearted  but  deeply  grateful 
woman  stood  at  his  side,  and  passed  her  hand 
fondly  over  his  head,  and  stroked  his  rough  hair 
as  she  would  have  done  that  of  her  own  boy. 
When  he  had  finished  writing  he  handed  her 
the  paper,  his  full  heart  finding  relief  in  tears, 
and  said,  "  Now  you  have  one  of  the  two  left, 
and  I  have  one;  that  is  no  more  than  right." 
She  took  the  order,  and,  placing  her  hand  again 
reverently  upon  his  head,  while  the  tears 
streamed  down  her  cheeks,  and  her  voice  fal 
tered  with  emotion,  said,  "  The  Lord  bless  you, 


THE    FOREST  BOY.  251 

Mr.  President.  May  you  live  a  thousand  years, 
and  may  you  always  be  the  head  of  this  great 
nation." 

Not  only  the  petitions  of  suffering  men  and 
women  reached  the  ears  and  touched  the  heart 
of  President  Lincoln,  but  the  requests  of  chil 
dren  even  were  heard  and  answered.  The 
children  of  Concord,  Mass.,  sent  him  a  "me 
morial,"  asking  for  the  freedom  of  all  slave 
children.  He  did  not  toss  it  aside  with  a  sneer, 
saying,  What  do  boys  and  girls  know  about 
such  great  matters  ?  but  sat  down  and  wrote 
with  his  own  hand  the  following  beautiful 
letter: 

"  Tell  those  little  people  I  am  very  glad 
their  young  hearts  are  so  full  of  just  and  gen 
erous  sympathy,  and  that,  while  I  have  not  the 
power  to  grant  all  they  ask,  I  trust  that  they 
will  remember  that  God  has,  and  that,  as  it 
seems,  he  wills  to  do  it.  "  A.  LINCOLN." 

To  the  officers  of  the  government,  high  in 
influence,  and  nearest  to  him  in  power,  the 


252  THE  FOKEST  BOY. 

members  of  his  cabinet,  lie  showed  the  same 
childlike  tenderness  and  freedom  from  arro 
gance  or  jealousy.  At  the  close  of  the  war  Mr. 
Stanton,  the  popular  Secretary  of  "War,  offered 
Mr.  Lincoln,  in  writing,  his  resignation,  saying 
that  he  had  accepted  the  office  to  see  the  rebel 
lion  ended,  and  now  that  the  war  was  over  he 
wished  to  be  relieved.  He  added  that  he  could 
bear  a  heartfelt  tribute  to  Mr.  Lincoln's  con 
stant  friendship  and  faithful  devotion  to  the 
country.  Mr.  Lincoln's  generous  emotions 
toward  his  secretary  almost  overcame  him. 
He  tore  in  pieces  the  paper  containing  the 
resignation,  and,  throwing  his  arms  about  Mr. 
Stanton's  neck,  exclaimed,  "  Stanton,  I  cannot 
spare  you  !  You  have  been  a  good  friend  and 
faithful  public  servant.  It  is  not  for  you  to  say 
when  you  will  no  longer  be  needed  here."  The 
friends  of  both  were  present,  and  were  melted 
to  tears  by  the  incident. 

On  the  Monday  before  his  death,  being  on 
his  way  from  Richmond  to  "Washington,  Mr. 
Lincoln  stopped  at  City  Point,  on  the  James 


THE   FOKEST   BOY.  253 

River.  He  called  upon  the  head  surgeon  there, 
and  told  him  he  wished  to  visit  every  hospital 
under  his  charge,  and  shake  hands  with  every 
soldier.  The  surgeon  expressed  his  surprise, 
and  remarked  that  he  was  not  probably  aware 
how  severe  his  task  would  be,  for  there  were  in 
the  hospitals  at  least  six  thousand  men.  Mr. 
Lincoln  smiled,  and  replied  that  he  "  guessed 
he  was  equal  to  the  task ;  at  any  rate  he  would 
try,  and  go  as  far  as  he  could.  He  should  never 
probably  see  the  boys  again,  and  he  wanted 
them  to  know  that  he  appreciated  what  they 
had  done  for  their  country." 

As  the  surgeon  was  not  able  to  turn  Mr. 
Lincoln  aside  from  his  purpose,  they  com 
menced  their  rounds  together.  The  President 
went  to  the  bedside  of  each,  shaking  hands  with 
all,  speaking  words  of  cheer  to  some,  making 
kind  inquiries  of  others,  and  receiving  from  all 
the  heartiest  welcome.  In  one  of  the  wards 
lay  a  wounded  rebel  soldier,  receiving  the  same 
care  as  the  rest ;  he  watched  the  tall  form  of 
Mr.  Lincoln  with  deep  interest  as  he  passed 


254:  THE  FOKEST  BOY. 

from  one  to  the  other,  and,  as  he  approached 
his  bedside,  he  raised  himself  on  his  elbow  in 
bed  and  extended  his  hand,  exclaiming  in  tears, 
"  Mr.  Lincoln,  I  have  long  wanted  to  see  you 
to  ask  your  forgiveness  for  raising  my  hand 
against  the  old  flag."  Mr.  Lincoln  wept  freely, 
and  taking  the  hand  of  the  penitent  rebel,  he 
assured  him  of  his  forgiveness  and  good- will. 

When  the  tour  of  the  hospitals  was  made, 
Mr.  Lincoln  returned  to  the  surgeon's  office. 
He  had  scarcely  entered  when  a  messenger 
came,  saying  one  ward  had  been  omitted,  and 
"the  boys"  wanted  to  see  their  President. 
Though  tired,  back  he  went,  and  finished  his 
proposed  task. 

When  they  had  again  entered  the  office,  the 
surgeon  expressed  the  fear  that  Mr.  Lincoln's 
arm  would  be  lame  with  so  much  hand-shaking. 
"  I  guess  not,"  said  the  President ;  "  I  have 
strong  muscles,"  and  stepping  immediately  to 
the  door,  he  took  up  a  heavy  ax  and  began  to 
chop  a  large  log  of  wood.  The  chips  flew  in 
every  direction  under  his  vigorous  strokes, 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  255 

showing  something  of  the  "  muscle  "  of  his  log- 
cabin  days.  Pausing,  he  held  the  ax  out  stead 
ily  at  full  arm's  length.  Strong  men  who 
stood  by,  men  accustomed  to  hard  labor,  vainly 
tried  to  do  the  same  thing.  The  President 
then  returned  to  the  office  and  took  a  glass  of 
lemonade,  refusing  anything  stronger,  while  the 
chips  "  which  Father  Abraham  chopped  "  were 
being  gathered  up  as  mementoes. 

Such  was  the  sympathy  and  tenderness  of  the 
peoples  ruler,  "  a  true  born  king  of  men." 


256  THE  .FOREST    BOY. 


CHAPTER  XXY. 

PLEASANT     HUMOES. 

THE  "jokes"  of  Mr.  Lincoln  have  been  re 
peated  wherever  his  name  has  been  spoken, 
and  they  have  become  known  much  better  than 
the  feelings  of  the  heart  from  which  they 
flowed.  They  appear  to  many  as  the  evidence 
of  a  trifling  mind,  and  as  utterances  made 
when  silence  or  seriousness  would  have  been 
wiser.  Those  who  judge  thus  have  not  learned 
what  wisdom  was  often  conveyed  in  his  simple, 
well-told  "  story ;"  what  sharp  rebuke  to  an 
impertinent  teaser;  what  gentle  -refusal  to  a 
solicitation  to  which  his  kindness  could  not 
interpose  a  direct  "  no  ; "  and  especially,  what 
relief  to  his  overburdened,  almost  crushed 
heart.  Those  who  have  read  only  Mr.  Lin- 
coins  "jokes,"  and  read  perhaps  as  his  many 
silly  and  coarse  remarks  which  he  never 


THE   FOREST   BOY.  257 

uttered,  do  not  know  that  his  habitual  and  life 
long  feeling  was  one  of  sadness.  "  His  was  the 
saddest  countenance  I  ever  knew,"  said  the 
artist  who  studied  it  for  six  months.  Mr.  Ban 
croft  eloquently  says :  "  Mr.  Lincoln  was  a  man 
of  infinite  jest  on  his  lips,  with  saddest  earnest 
ness  at  his  heart."  Said  his  little  son,  in  the 
agony  of  his  grief  on  learning  that  his  father 
was  shot,  and  being  assured  by  a  friend  that  he 
had  gone  to  heaven,  "  Then  I  am  glad  he  has 
gone  there,  for  he  was  never  happy  here." 

A  gentleman  who  was  his  law  partner  for 
twenty  years  thus  sketches  this  feature  of  his 
character :  "  Mr.  Lincoln  was  a  sad-looking 
man ;  his  melancholy  dripped  from  him  as 
he  walked.  His  apparent  gloom  impressed  his 
friends,  and  created  a  sympathy  for  him,  one 
means  of  his  great  success.  He  was  gloomy, 
abstracted,  and  joyous,  rather  humorous,  by 
turns.  I  do  not  think  he  knew  what  real  joy 
was  for  more  than  twenty-three  years." 

Mr.  Lincoln's  pleasant  humors  were  the  nat 
ural  relief  of  his  burdened  spirit.  The  follow- 


258  THE   FOREST  BOY. 

ing  touching  incident  contains  Mr.  Lincoln's 
own  statement  of  this  fact.  On  one  of  the 
darkest  days  of  1862,  when  a  heavy  gloom 
hung  over  the  country,  and  when  the  news  of 
fresh  disaster  had  just  been  announced,  a 
deeply  earnest  loyal  member  of  Congress  called 
upon  the  President,  who,  after  the  first  saluta 
tion,  commenced  telling  a  humorous  incident. 
The  congressman  was  in  no  mood  to  hear,  and, 
starting  up,  said,  "Mr.  President,  I  did  not 
come  here  this  morning  to  hear  stories ;  it  is  too 
serious  a  time."  Instantly  the  smile  upon  Mr. 
Lincoln's  face  gave  way  to  an  expression  of  the 
deepest  seriousness.  uSit  down  again,  sir," 
he  said,  in  a  tone  of  tender  earnestness;  "I 
respect  you  as  an  earnest,  sincere  man.  You 
cannot  be  more  anxious  than  I  am  constantly, 
and  I  say  to  you  now  that  were  it  not  for  this 
occasional  vent  I  should  die  !  " 

The  sending  forth  of  a  proclamation  to  eman 
cipate  millions  of  slaves  was  a  great  responsi 
bility,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  felt  it  to  be  such.  He 
watched  the  course  of  God's  providence,  he 


THE   FOREST   BOY.  259 

thought  deeply  and  prayed  fervently  in  relation 
to  the  subject.  When  he  at  last  decided  to 
issue  it,  and  had  written  it  out  carefully,  he 
called  his  cabinet  together  to  read  it  to  them. 
What  a  solemn  moment !  Mr.  Lincoln  saw 
clearly  the  vast  consequences  of  that  document, 
and  felt  keenly  his  relation  to  them.  What  he 
saw  and  felt  was  weighing  down  his  mind  too 
heavily  for  the  reading  and  conversation  which 
the  occasion  required.  He  must  have  some 
relief.  Before  naming  the  business  of  the 
meeting,  he  took  down  from  a  shelf  a  volume, 
"Artemus  Ward — His  Book,"  read  a  whole 
chapter  of  its  drollery,  and  laughed  most  heart 
ily.  Few  could  understand  the  propriety  of 
this,  perhaps  there  was  no  propriety  in  it,  and 
fewer  could  desire  or  enjoy  such  reading  at 
such  a  time.  But  to  Mr.  Lincoln  it  was  like  a 
draught  of  fresh  air  to  a  man  gasping  for  breath. 
He  laid  down  the  book  refreshed,  and  the  ex 
pression  of  his  countenance,  the  tone  of  his 
voice,  and  his  whole  manner  instantly  changed. 
If  his  dignified  audience  were  before  disgusted, 


260  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

they  were  now  awed,  as  he  announced  the 
object  of  the  meeting,  and  read  the  document 
which  was  to  make  tyranny  tremble,  and  to 
rejoice  the  hearts  of  the  friends  of  freedom 
throughout  the  world. 

Mr.  Lincoln  kept  some  work  of  wit  and 
humor  in  a  corner  of  his  desk,  so  that,  when 
exhausted  with  labor  or  over-pressed  with  care, 
he  could  take  it  out,  and  give  fresh  elasticity  to 
his  mind  by  the  perusal  of  a  few  pages.  Once 
when  he  had  been  sorely  beset  continually  from 
seven  in  the  evening  until  nearly  twelve,  and 
while  still  surrounded  by  men  high  in  office, 
and  by  numerous  large  documents  demanding 
attention,  he  pushed  all  aside,  and  assuming  an 
easy  and  comical  air,  said  to  one  of  the  party, 
"  Have  you  seen  the  ISTasby  Papers  ?  There  is 
a  chap  out  in  Ohio  who  has  been  writing  a 
series  of  letters  in  the  newspapers  over  the  sig 
nature  of  Petroleum  Y.  Nasby.  Some  one  sent 
me  a  collection  of  them  the  other  day.  I  am 
going  to  write  to  Petroleum  to  come  down 
here,  and  I  intend  to  tell  him  if  he  will  com- 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  261 

nmnicate  his  talent  to  me  I  will  swap  places 
with,  him."  Mr.  Lincoln,  on  finishing  these 
remarks,  took  a  copy  of  the  letters  from  his 
desk,  read  one  to  the  company,  laughed 
heartily,  and  obtained  from  it  the  brief  relief 
that  many  statesmen  would  have  sought  from  a 
glass  of  brandy  or  wine.  He  then  tossed  the 
book  aside,  and  returned  to  his  exhausting 
labor,  his  countenance  at  once  assuming  its 
melancholy  earnestness. 

We  have  seen,  in  the  course  of  our  sketch  of 
Mr.  Lincoln,  how  pungent  he  often  made  his 
"  little  story  "  in  argument,  and  how  powerful 
in  drawing  the  masses  to  him.  A  few  illustra- 
trations  of  these  facts  are  at  hand.  Mr.  Lincoln 
had  met  the  rebel  "  Peace  Commissioners  "  on 
board  a  steamer  near  Fortress  Monroe.  After 
a  brief  discussion,  the  conversation  turned  to 
the  slavery  question.  Mr.  Stephens,  the  chief 
speaker  for  the  commissioners,  said :  "  If  the 
South  should  consent  to  peace  on  the  basis  of 
the  Emancipation  Proclamation  the  Southern 
society  would  be  ruined;  no  work  would  be 


THE  FOREST   BOY. 


done  because  the  slaves  would  work  only  upon 
compulsion,  nothing  would  be  cultivated,  and 
both  blacks  and  whites  would  starve.  This  was 
raising  a  dust  in  which  no  peace  negotiations 
could  be  made,  so  Mr.  Lincoln  settled  that  line 
of  argument  by  the  following  story :  "  Mr. 
Stephens,"  he  said,  addressing  the  rebel  vice- 
president  with  a  roguish  twinkle  of  his  eye, 
"  you  ought  to  know  a  great  deal  better  about 
this  matter  than  ./,  for  you  have  always  lived 
under  the  slave  system.  I  can  only  say  in  reply 
to  your  statement  of  the  case,  that  it  reminds 
me  of  a  man  out  in  Illinois  by  the  name  of  Case, 
who  undertook,  a  few  years  ago,  to  raise  a  very 
large  herd  of  hogs.  It  was  a  great  trouble  to 
feed  them,  and  how  to  get  around  this  was  a 
puzzle  to  him.  At  length  he  hit  upon  the  plan 
of  planting  an  immense  field  of  potatoes,  and 
when  they  were  sufficiently  grown  he  turned 
the  whole  herd  into  the  field,  and  let  them  have 
full  swing,  thus  not  only  saving  the  trouble  of 
feeding  the  hogs,  but  also  that  of  digging  the 
potatoes!  Charmed  with  his  sagacity,  he 


THE   FOKEST  BOY.  263 

stood  one  day  leaning  against  the  fence  count 
ing  his  hogs,  when  a  neighbor  came  along. 
1  Well,  well,  Mr.  Case/  said  he,  this  is  all  very 
fine.  Your  hogs  are  doing  very  well  just  now, 
but  you  know  that  out  here  in  Illinois  the  frost 
comes  early,  and  the  ground  freezes  a  foot  deep. 
Then  what  are  they  going  to  do  ? "  This  was  a 
view  of  the  case  Mr.  Case  had  not  taken  into 
the  account.  Butchering  time  for  hogs  was  way 
on  in  December  or  January.  He  scratched  his 
head,  and  at  length  stammered,  '  It  may  come 
pretty  hard  on  their  snouts,  but  I  don't  see  but 
that  it  will  be,  Root,  hog,  or  die.' r 

The  conversation  of  the  commissioners  was 
turned  immediately  to  other  features  of  the 
grave  question  in  hand. 

Mr.  Lincoln's  stories  were  used  by  him  to 
good  purpose  in  shutting  off  mistaken  efforts  on 
the  part  of  his  friends  to  lessen  his  charity 
toward  his  political  opponents.  He  disliked 
any  conversation  which  had  this  tendency,  and 
was  very  apt,  when  it  began,  to  be  reminded  of 
something  laughable  which  put  the  gossiper  off 


264  THE  FOREST   BOY. 

his  track.  A  friend  on  one  occasion  was  rising 
seven  times  in  reference  to  the  course  of  opposi 
tion  to  Mr.  Lincoln  taken  by  two  prominent 
members  of  his  party,  when  he  interrupted  him 
by  saying :  "  It's  not  worth  fretting  about ;  it 
reminds  me  of  an  old  acquaintance,  who,  having 
a  son  of  a  scientific  turn,  bought  him  a  micro 
scope.  The  boy  went  around  experimenting 
with  his  glass  upon  everything  that  came  in  his 
way.  One  day  at  the  dinner  table  his  father 
took  up  a  piece  of  cheese.  '  Don't  eat  that, 
father,'  said  the  boy,  £  it  is  full  of  wrigglers ! ' 
'  My  son,'  replied  the  old  gentleman,  taking  at 
the  same  time  a  huge  bite,  <  let  'em  wriggle ;  I 
can  stand  it  if  they  can.'" 

Mr.  Lincoln's  ever-ready  story  was  wonder 
fully  potent  in  turning  aside  any  unpleasant 
differences  between  his  associates  in  the  govern 
ment,  or  those  high  in  office  about  him.  When 
General  Grant  came  into  chief  command  of  the 
armies,  Mr.  Stanton,  the  Secretary  of  War,  at 
their  first  interview  could  not  agree  with  him 
as  to  the  number  of  troops  to  be  left  for  the 


THE    FOREST    BOY.  265 

defense  of  "Washington  while  the  main  army 
marched  on  Richmond.  A  correspondent  of 
the  "  New  York  Herald  "  thus  gives  the  conver 
sation,  and  the  happy  turn  given  to  the  dispute 
between  these  high  officials  : 

"  Well,  General,"  remarked  the  Secretary,  "  I 
suppose  you  have  left  enough  men  to  strongly 
garrison  the  forts  around  Washington  ?  " 

"No,"  said  Grant  coolly ;  "  I  couldn't  do  that." 

"  Why  not  ? "  cried  Stanton  nervously,  "  why 
not  ?  why  not « " 

"  Because  I  have  already  sent  the  men  to  the 
front,"  replied  Grant  calmly. 

"  That  wont  do,"  cried  Stanton,  more  nerv 
ous  than  before.  "  It's  contrary  to  my  plans. 
I  can't  allow  it.  I'll  order  the  men  back.'8 

"  I  shall  need  the  men  there,  and  you  can't 
order  them  back,"  answered  Grant. 

"  Why  not  ? "  inquired  Stanton  again.  "  Why 
not?  why  not?" 

"  I  believe  that  I  rank  the  Secretary  in.  this 
matter,"  was  the  quiet  reply. 

"  Yery  well,"  said  Stanton,  a  little  warmly, 
17 


266  THE    FOREST    BOY. 

"  we'll  see  the  President  about  that.     I'll  have 
to  take  you  to  the  President." 

"That's  right,"  politely  observed  Grant. 
"  The  President  ranks  us  both." 

Arrived  at  the  White  House,  the  General  and 
the  Secretary  asked  to  see  the  President  upon 
important  business,  and  in  a  few  moments  the 
good-natured  face  of  Mr.  Lincoln  appeared. 

"  Well,  gentlemen,"  said  the  President,  with 
a  genial  smile,  "  what  do  you  want  of  me  ?  " 

"  General,"  said  Stanton  stiffly,  "  state  your 
case." 

"I  have  no  case  to  state,"  replied  General 
Grant.  "  I  am  satisfied  as  it  is  ;  "  thus  outflank 
ing  the  Secretary,  and  displaying  the  same 
strategy  in  diplomacy  as  in  war. 

"Well,  well,"  said  the  President,  laughing, 
"  state  your  case,  Secretary." 

Secretary  Stanton  obeyed ;  General  Grant 
said  nothing ;  the  President  listened  very  attent 
ively.  When  Stanton  had  concluded,  the 
President  crossed  his  legs,  rested  his  elbow  on 
his  knee,  twinkled  his  eyes  quaintly,  and  said : 


THE   FOREST   BOY.  267 

"  Now,  Secretary,  you  know  we  have  been  try 
ing  to  manage  this  army  for  two  years  and  a 
half,  and  you  know  we  haven't  done  much  with 
it.  We  sent  over  the  mountains  and  brought 
Mister  Grant,  as  Mrs.  Grant  calls  him,  to  man 
age  it  for  us,  and  now  I  guess  we  had  better  let 
Mister  Grant  have  his  own  way." 

Nobody  ranked  the  President,  so  this  was  de 
cisive  ;  but  no  doubt  the  feelings  of  the  Secre 
tary  were  saved  by  the  manner  and  spirit  in 
which  he  was  overruled. 

Mr.  Lincoln  not  only  used  his  pleasantries  to 
take  the  offense  from  a  refusal,  but  at  other 
times  to  give  a  zest  to  a  favor  granted.  A  Ger 
man  paper  publishes  the  following  illustration 
in  point :  "  A  lieutenant,  whom  debts  compelled 
to  leave  his  fatherland  and  the  service  of  his 
country,  succeeded  in  being  admitted  to  Pres 
ident  Lincoln,  and,  by  reason  of  his  commend 
able  and  winning  deportment,  together  with  his 
intelligent  appearance,  was  promised  a  lieuten 
ant's  commission  in  a  cavalry  regiment.  He 
was  so  enraptured  with  his  success  that  he 


268  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

deemed  it  his  duty  to  inform  the  President  that 
he  belonged  to  one  of  the  oldest  families  of  the 
nobility  of  Germany.  4  O,  never  mind  that,' 
said  Mr.  Lincoln,  '  you  will  not  find  that  to  be 
an  obstacle  in  the  way  of  your  promotion.' ' 

We  cannot  further  detail  these  pleasant  hu 
mors,  which  show  more  plainly  than  any  mere 
description  could  do,  the  sincere  and  noble 
nature  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  The  following  is 
a  pleasing  testimony  to  their  moral  character  by 
Mr.  Carpenter,  the  artist,  and  familiar  friend  of 
the  President :  "  I  feel  that  it  is  due  to  Mr. 
Lincoln's  memory  to  state,  that  during  the  entire 
period  of  my  stay  in  "Washington,  after  witness 
ing  his  intercourse  with  almost  all  classes  of 
people,  including  governors,  senators,  members 
of  Congress,  officers  of  the  army,  and  familiar 
friends,  I  cannot  recollect  to  have  heard  him 
relate  a  circumstance  to  any  one  of  them  all, 
that  would  have  been  out  of  place  uttered  in  a 
ladies'  drawing-room.  .  .  .  What  I  have  stated  is 
a  voluntary  testimony  from  a  standpoint,  I  sub 
mit,  entitled  to  respectful  consideration." 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  269 


CHAPTEK  XXYI. 

CONFIDENCE    IN    GOD. 

» 

OUR  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Lincoln  thus  far 
has  shown  us  that  from  his  childhood  he  rever 
enced  the  name  of  God.  Though  associated 
with  men  who  used  profane  language,  he  never 
formed  the  wicked  habit  of  swearing.  From 
his  mother's  lips  he  had  heard  the  truths  of  the 
Bible,  and  early  learned  to  love  the  study  of  its  sa 
cred  pages.  As  soon  as  he  was  elected  President 
the  nation  began  to  hear  from  him  serious  refer 
ence  to  his  sense  of  dependence  upon  God  for 
strength  and  wisdom  in  his  great  work.  When 
he  entered  upon  the  duties  of  the  presidential 
office,  his  messages  and  proclamations  expressed 
more  confidence  in  God,  and  breathed  more  of 
the  spirit  of  true  piety,  than  had  ever  before  been 
manifest  in  the  head  of  our  republic.  The 
earnest  Christians  of  the  country  were  of  course  es- 


270  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

pecially  pleased  with  this ;  but  they  knew  that  he 
might  do  and  say  all  this  and  yet  not  love  Christ. 
They  desired  to  be  assured  that  he  was  not 
merely  almost  a  Christian,  but  a  truly  converted 
man  ;  they  wanted  him  to  be  and  to  prof  ess  him 
self  such,  that  the  light  of  his  example  might 
shine  forth  from  his  high  station,  and  thus  glo 
rify  his  Father  in  heaven. 

It  was  with  this  feeling  that  some  Christians 
in  a  western  state  said  to  a  gentleman  who  was 
going  to  the  White  House  on  important  business, 
"  We  want  you  to  ask  Mr.  Lincoln  if  he  loves 
Jews"  The  gentleman  visited  Washington, 
had  an  interview  with  the  President,  and  after 
his  business  was  finished  said  :  "At  the  solicita 
tion  of  some  Christian  friends,  I  have  a  question 
to  propose  to  you  if  you  will  allow  me,  Mr.  Lin 
coln."  "  Certainly,"  was  the  courteous  reply. 
"Do  you  love  Jesus  ?  "  inquired  the  gentleman. 
The  President  burst  into  tears,  buried  his  face 
in  his  handkerchief,  and  for  a  time  was  unable 
to  speak.  He  at  length  said :  "  When  I  left 
Springfield  I  said  to  my  fellow-citizens,  (  Pray 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  271 

for  me  ;'  but  I  was  not  then  a  Christian.  When 
my  child  died,  soon  after  I  entered  upon  my 
office,  my  heart  was  still  rebellious  against  God. 
I  was  not  then  a  Christian.  But  when  I  walked 
the  battle-field  of  Gettysburg,  and  saw  the 
wounded  and  the  dying,  and  felt  that  by  that 
victory  our  cause  was  saved,  I  then  and  there 
resolved,  and  gave  my  heart  to  Jesus.  /  do  love 
Jesus" 

A  lady  of  our  acquaintance,  with  whom  we 
conversed  just  before  sitting  down  to  write  this 
page,  says :  "  I  was  frequently  brought  into  Mr. 
Lincoln's  presence  in  reference  to  the  soldiers  of 
the  hospitals  for  whom  I  was  laboring,  and  I 
once  asked  him  why  he  was  not  a  member  of 
some  Church,  as  I  believed  he  was  a  real 
Christian.  He  evaded  the  question,  giving  me 
a  general  answer,  and  intimated  his  great  im- 
worthiness  for  such  a  solemn  and  responsible 
relation."  The  lady  adds  :  "  I  always  found 
Mr.  Lincoln  ready,  and  even  pleased  to  converse 
upon  the  subject  of  experimental  religion,  but 
he  was  extremely  modest  respecting  his  own, 


272  THE   FOKEST  BOY. 

experience."  As  Mr.  Lincoln  was  able  to  say 
sincerely  that  "  he  loved  Jesus,"  it  was  a  sad 
mistake,  from  whatever  cause  he  was  led  into 
it,  that  he  did  not  become  a  member  of  the 
Church  and  a  receiver  of  the  sacraments,  thus 
confessing  Christ  before  men,  according  to  his 
commandment.  If  he  had  done  so  he  might 
have  been  restrained,  by  the  known  sentiments 
of  the  Church,  from  attendance  upon  the  thea 
ter,  where  occasion  was  given  for  his  violent 
death. 

But  it  is  pleasanter  to  leave  this  subject  to 
the  Christian  charity  of  those  who  have  candidly 
studied  Mr.  Lincoln's  religious  character,  and 
pass  on  to  other  evidences  of  his  confidence  in 
God  and  the  Bible. 

During  one  of  the  darkest  days  of  the  rebel 
lion,  a  delegation  of  Christian  men  called  upon 
the  President.  "  We  trust  the  Lord  is  on  our 
side,"  said  the  gentleman  who  spoke  in  their 
behalf.  "  I  do  not  consider  that  as  essential  as 
something  else,"  replied  the  President.  The 
pious  visitors  looked  surprised,  until  he  added  : 


THE    FOREST   BOY.  273 

"  I  am  most  concerned  to  know  that  we  are  on 
the  Lord's  side." 

The  following  illustrates  Mr.  Lincoln's  love  of 
the  Bible,  and  his  habit  of  reading  it  while  he 
was  President.  It  is  related  by  the  Eev.  Mr. 
Adams,  a  Presbyterian  clergyman  of  Philadel 
phia.  He  was  on  a  visit  to  Washington,  and 
had  made  an  appointment  to  call  upon  the 
President  at  the  White  House  at  five  o'clock 
in  the  morning.  Says  Mr.  Adams  :  "  Morning 
came,  and  I  hastened  my  toilet,  and  found  my 
self  at  a  quarter  to  five  in  the  waiting  room  of  the 
President.  I  asked  the  usher  if  I  could  see  Mr, 
Lincoln.  He  said  I  could  not.  4  But  I  have  an 
engagement  to  meet  him  this  morning.'  £  At 
what  hour  ? '  '  At  five  o'clock.'  '  Well,  sir,  he 
will  see  you  at  five.'  I  then  walked  to  and  fro 
for  a  few  moments,  and  hearing  a  voice,  as  if  in 
grave  conversation,  I  asked  the  servant,  i  Who 
is  talking  in  the  next  room  ? '  c  It  is  the  Pres 
ident,  sir.'  *  Is  anybody  with  him  ? '  l  ISTo,  sir, 
he  is  reading  the  Bible.'  '  Is  that  his  habit  so 
early  in  the  morning  ? '  '  Yes,  sir ;  he  spends 


274  THE   FOKEST   BOY. 

every  morning  from  four  to  five  in  reading  the 
Scriptures  and  praying.' ' 

The  central  act  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  administra 
tion,  and,  as  he  himself  has  said,  "  the  great 
event  of  the  nineteenth  century,"  was  the  send 
ing  forth  of  the  proclamation  to  emancipate  the 
slaves.  In  the  performance  of  this  great  duty 
he  had  constantly  prayed  that  it  might  be  in 
accordance  with  God's  will.  Just  before  it  was 
done,  a  delegation  of  clergymen  from  Chicago 
called  upon  him  to  urge  the  speedy  performance 
of  the  act.  The  President  said  to  them :  "  I  can 
assure  you  the  subject  is  on  my  mind  day  and 
night,  more  than  any  other  ;  and  whatever  shall 
appear  to  be  God's  will  1  will  do." 

At  the  cabinet  meeting  on  the  Saturday  be 
fore  the  proclamation  was  issued,  Mr.  Lincoln 
said  in  a  low  tone,  after  giving  other  reasons 
for  it,  "  and  I  have  promised  God  that  I  would 
do  it."  Secretary  Chase,  who  was  sitting  near 
him,  wishing  to  be  sure  that  he  understood  him 
aright,  said,  "  Did  I  understand  you,  Mr.  Pres 
ident?"  Mr.  Lincoln  replied,  "I  made  a  sol- 


THE   FOREST   Boy.  275 

emn  vow  before  God,  that  if  General  Lee  was 
driven  back  from  Pennsylvania  I  would  crown 
the  result  by  the  declaration  of  freedom  to  the 
slave." 

Once,  when  greatly  perplexed  by  the  difficul 
ties  which  surrounded  him,  he  exclaimed  hope 
fully  to  a  distinguished  senator,  "  The  Lord  has 
not  deserted  me  thus  far,  and  he  is  not  going 
to  now." 

A  pious  lady,  who  acted  as  a  nurse  to  one  of 
Mr.  Lincoln's  sick  children,  relates  several  inci 
dents  illustrating  his  religious  feelings.  At  the 
news  at  one  time  of  a  sad  defeat  of  the  Union 
forces  he  was  very  much  depressed,  but  said : 
"  I  have  done  the  best  I  could.  I  have  asked 
God  to  guide  me,  and  now  I  must  leave  the 
event  with  him." 

On  another  occasion,  when  a  great  battle  was 
in  progress  at  a  distant  and  important  point,  he 
manifested  great  solicitude.  The  lady  remarked, 
"  You  can  trust,  and  you  can  at  least  pray." 
"  Yes,"  said  he,  in  a  tone  which  expressed  the 
relief  he  felt  in  the  suggestion,  and  taking  up 


276  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

his  Bible,  started  for  his  room.  There,  with 
God's  word  opened  before  him,  he  pleaded  on 
his  knees  its  gracious  promises  of  support.  So 
earnest  were  his  supplications  in  his  secret  cham 
ber  that  his  voice  was  heard  by  those  in  the 
sick  room  of  his  family.  While  he  yet  prayed, 
God  sent  him  the  answer  of  peace.  At  one 
o'clock  a  telegram  announced  a  Union  victory. 
On  receiving  it,  he  came  directly  into  the  sick 
room,  his  face  beaming  with  joy,  exclaiming: 
"  Good  news  !  good  news !  The  victory  is  ours, 
and  God  is  good  !  " 

"Nothing  like  prayer,"  suggested  the  pious 
lady. 

"  Yes  there  is,"  replied  Mr.  Lincoln,  "  praise. 
Prayer  and  praise  !  " 

A  colored  woman  by  the  name  of  Johnson, 
of  rare  ability,  earnest  piety,  and  very  many 
good  works  in  the  hospitals  of  the  soldiers,  in 
her  ardent  love  for  the  President  prepared  as  a 
present  for  him  a  magnificent  collection  of  wax 
fruit.  It  was  set  upon  a  "  stem-table  "  highly 
ornamented,  and  she  proceeded,  in  company 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  277 

with  her  minister,  to  "Washington,  to  present  it 
in  person.  She  says :  "  The  commissioner,  Mr. 
Newton,  received  us  kindly,  and  sent  the  box 
to  the  White  House,  with  directions  that  it 
should  not  be  opened  until  I  came.  The  next 
day  was  reception  day,  but  the  President  sent 
me  word  that  he  would  receive  me  at  one  o'clock. 
I  went  and  arranged  the  table,  placing  it  in  the 
center  of  the  room.  There  I  was  introduced  to 
the  President  and  his  wife.  He  stood  next  to 
me,  then  Mrs.  Lincoln,  Mr.  Newton,  and  the 
minister.  Mr.  Hamilton,  the  minister,  made  an 
appropriate  speech,  and  at  the  conclusion  said : 
'  Perhaps  Mrs.  Johnson  would  like  to  say  a 
few  words.'  I  looked  down  to  the  floor  and 
felt  that  I  had  not  a  word  to  say ;  but  after  a 
moment  or  two  the  fire  began  to  burn,  and  it 
burned  and  burned  until  it  went  all  over  me. 
I  believe  it  was  the  Spirit ;  and  I  looked  up  to 
him  and  said :  '  Mr.  President,  I  believe  God 
has  hewn  you  out  of  a  rock  for  this  great  and 
mighty  purpose.  D^any  have  been  led  away  by 
bribes  of  gold,  of  silver,  of  presents ;  but  you 


278  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

liave  stood  firm  because  God  was  with  you,  and 
if  you  are  faithful  to  the  end  God  will  be  with 
you.'  With  his  eyes  filled  with  tears  Mr.  Lin 
coln  walked  round  and  examined  the  present, 
pronounced  it  beautiful,  thanked  me  kindly,  and 
said :  i  You  must  not  give  me  the  praise  j  it  all 
belongs  to  God.' r 

A  few  months  before  the  close  of  Mr.  Lin 
coln's  earthly  labors,  two  hundred  members  of 
the  Christian  Commission  waited  upon  him  at 
the  White  House.  Mr.  Stuart,  chairman  of  the 
Commission,  addressed  a  few  words  to  him,  re 
ferring  to  the  debt  which  the  country  owed  him. 
"  My  friends,"  replied  Mr.  Lincoln,  "  you  owe 
me  no  debt  of  gratitude  for  what  I  have  done, 
and  I,"  raising  his  arm  and  swinging  it 
through  the  air,  expressive  of  a  desire  to  be  un 
derstood,  "  and  I,  I  may  say,  owe  you  no  grati 
tude  for  what  you  have  done  ;  just  as,  in  a  sense, 
we  owe  no  gratitude  to  the  men  who  have 
fought  our  battles  for  us.  I  trust  that  this  has 
all  been  for  us  a  work  of  duty."  At  the  utter 
ance  of  this  word  duty,  Mr.  Lincoln's  sad  face 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  279 

shone  with  a  divine  radiance,  his  whole  soul 
seeming  on  fire  with  a  spiritual  baptism,  while 
in  eloquent  language  he  gave  God  all  the  glory 
for  the  light  which  had  dawned  upon  the  Union 
cause,  and  for  the  prospect  of  a  speedy  and 
complete  triumph. 

Mr.  Stuart,  catching  fully  the  spirit  of  the 
occasion,  said,  "  Mr.  President,  with  your  per 
mission,  we  will  have,  here  and  now,  a  word  of 
prayer."  Mr.  Lincoln  assented  with  an  ease 
and  cordiality  which  showed  that  the  sugges 
tion  fully  accorded  with  his  own  feelings ;  and 
Bishop  Janes  there,  in  the  east  room,  led  in  a 
brief  and  fervent  petition. 

Such  are  a  few  of  the  many  incidents  in 
Abraham  Lincoln's  public  career,  which  show 
his  habitual  love  for  the  Bible  and  his  confi 
dence  in  God. 


280  THE  FOREST  BOY. 


CHAPTEE  XXVII. 

THE    WHITE    HOUSE    HOME. 

THE  White  House  during  Mr.  Lincoln's  presi 
dency  was,  as  we  have  seen,  not  a  place  barred 
to  the  outward  world  by  embarrassing  cere 
monies,  and  repelling  dignity  of  position.  The 
family  circle  was  reached  by  the  known  rules 
and  simple  courtesies  of  common  life.  We 
shall  guard  against  breaking  over  these  with 
obtrusive  rudeness,  while  we  seek  a  familiar 
acquaintance  with  Mr.  Lincoln  in  his  easy 
movements  of  intercourse  with  his  family  and 
confidential  friends.  It  is  here  often  that  the 
springs  are  seen  which  give  direction  and 
force  to  public  character,  and  here  that  a 
photograph  may  be  taken  of  a  man  as  he  is, 
and  not  as  he  appears  when  dressed  for  the 
public  observation. 

It  was  much  easier  for  a  person  of  Mr.  Lin- 


THE  FOREST  Boy.  281 

coin's  previous  habits  and  natural  frankness,  to 
give  the  curious  world  a  too  ready  access  to  his 
privacy,  than  to  make  any  part  of  the  White 
House  at  any  time  a  genuine  family  home ;  so  it 
happens  that  his  inner  home  life  there  is  well 
understood.  But  even  here  he  is  most  highly 
esteemed  when  best  known. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  an  early  riser.  The  hour 
between  four  and  five  was  devoted  to  the  read 
ing  of  the  Bible  and  prayer,  which  furnished 
divine  wisdom  and  strength  for  the  duties  of 
the  day.  The  next  two  hours  were  generally 
devoted  to  an  examination  of  the  mail,  with  the 
aid  of  his  private  secretary,  often  giving  his 
personal  attention  to  letters  from  even  the 
humblest  sources.  A  visit  to  the  War  Office,  or 
to  his  nearest  chief  military  commander,  fre 
quently  came  in  before,  followed,  or  interrupted 
his  morning  examination  of  the  mails.  A 
glance  at  the  newspapers,  too,  was  obtained 
during  these  two  hours. 

Thus  five  hours  were  given  to  devotion  and 

public    business    before   breakfast,    which    was 

18 


282  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

eaten  at  nine.  This  was  succeeded  by  weary 
hours  of  pressing  business.  At  four  he  declined 
seeing  company,  and  often  took  a  carriage  drive 
with  some  member  of  his  family.  The  dinner 
at  six  was  frequently  one  of  generous  hospitality 
to  personal  friends^  and  the  evening  hours  fol 
lowing  were  devoted  to  easy,  informal,  social 
intercourse. 

The  above  indicates  only  a  very  general 
disposition  of  the  President's  time,  for  his  kind 
ness  of  heart  allowed  numerous  interruptions, 
so  numerous,  indeed,  as  to  become  sometimes 
more  the  rule  than  the  exception.  We  have 
seen  that  his  sleeping-room  even  was  invaded 
at  the  midnight  hour  by  friends  imploring 
mercy  for  the  condemned,  and  that  the  mo 
ments  devoted  to  rest  and  refreshment  were 
relinquished  at  the  cry  of  a  babe  and  the  peti 
tion  of  its  sorrowing  mother. 

A  member  of  Congress,  and  personal  friend 
of  Mr.  Lincoln,  thus  speaks  of  him  as  he  ap 
peared  in  the  family  circle  :  "  His  intercourse 
with  his  family  was  beautiful  as  that  with  his 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  283 

friends.  I  think  that  father  never  loved  his 
children  more  fondly  than  he.  The  President 
never  seemed  grander  in  my  sight  than  -when, 
stealing  upon  him  in  the  evening,  I  would  find 
him  with  a  book  open  before  him  (as  you  have 
seen  him  in  the  popular  photograph)  and  little 
u  Tad  "  beside  him.  There  were,  of  course,  a 
great  many  very  curious  books  sent  to  him,  and 
it  seemed  to  be  one  of  the  special  delights  of 
his  life  to  open  those  books  at  such  an  hour 
that  this  boy  could  stand  beside  him,  and  they 
could  talk  as  he  turned  over  the  pages,  the 
father  thus  giving  to  the  little  fellow  a  portion 
of  that  care  and  attention  of  which  he  was  or 
dinarily  deprived  by  the  duties  of  office  pressing 
upon  him. 

This  son  Thomas,  or  "  Tad,"  was  an  especial 
favorite  with  his  father.  He  welcomed  him  to 
his  presence,  though  engaged  by  pressing  busi 
ness  or  with  distinguished  personages.  The 
presidential  steamboat  excursions  down  the 
Potomac  were  generally  accompanied  by  Tad. 
At  one  time,  while  going  to  Fortress  Monroe, 


284  THE    FOEEST   BOY. 

the  petted  boy  naturally  abused  his  privilege  of 
unrestrained  access  to  his  father,  much  to  his 
annoyance,  and  the  annoyance  of  the  invited 
friends  of  the  excursion.  "  Tad,"  said  the 
President,  whose  conversation  with  the  party 
he  interrupted,  "  if  you  will  be  a  good  boy,  and 
not  disturb  me  any  more  till  we  get  to  Fortress 
Monroe,  I  will  give  you  a  dollar."  The  bribe 
served  as  a  restraint  for  a  while,  but  long  before 
the  boat  reached  the  fort  Tad  was  as  noisy  as 
ever ;  but  just  before  landing  he  confidently 
approached  the  President,  saying,  "  Father,  I 
want  my  dollar."  His  father  turned,  and, 
looking  a  tender  reproof,  said,  "Tad,  do  you 
think  you  have  earned  it  1 "  "  Yes,"  replied 
Tad  boldly.  Mr.  Lincoln  paused  for  a  mo 
ment,  and  cast  at  the  lad  a  half  reproachful 
glance;  then,  taking  out  his  pocket-book,  he 
handed  him  a  dollar  bill,  saying,  "  Well, 
Tad,  at  any  rate  I  will  keep  my  part  of  the 
bargain." 

Tad  at  one  time  went  over  to  the  War  Office, 
and  the  Secretary  of  War,  indulging  in  the  same 


THE   FOKEST   BOY.  285 

humor  toward  the  White  House  pet  as  the  fa 
ther,  commissioned  him  "lieutenant."  Tad, 
however,  made  a  serious  matter  of  his  author 
ity,  and  ordered  a  quantity  of  muskets  to  be 
sent  to  the  house.  At  night  he  discharged  the 
guards  who  were  on  duty  at  the  executive  man 
sion,  and,  ordering  up  the  gardeners  and  serv 
ants,  put  guns  into  their  hands,  drilled  them, 
and  put  them  on  duty  in  place  of  the  guard. 
His  elder  brother,  Captain  Robert  Lincoln, 
learning  of  Tad's  audacity,  reported  the  pro 
ceedings  to  his  father,  requesting  that  they 
might  be  stopped.  Mr.  Lincoln,  however, 
treated  the  affair  as  a  good  joke,  and  refused 
to  interfere.  Fortunately  for  the  weary  la 
borers,  so  unexpectedly  made  soldiers,  the 
little  officer  in  command  of  them  presently 
went  to  bed,  and  they  were  quietly  discharged. 
So  the  White  House  went  unguarded  that 
night,  though  surrounded  by  bitter  and  reck 
less  enemies. 

In  February,  1862,  Willie,  Mr.  Lincoln's  son 
next  older  than  Tad,  died  at  the  White  House. 


286  THE   FOKEST  BOY. 

He  is  described  as  a  remarkable  boy,  serious, 
mature  above  his  years  in  intellect,  and  of  an 
affectionate  disposition.  His  sickness  and  death 
occurred  at  a  time  when  Mr.  Lincoln's  public 
burdens  were  almost  crushing.  Tad  was  sick 
at  the  same  time,  and  a  pious  lady  from  one  of 
the  hospitals  was  called  in  as  nurse.  Mr.  Lincoln 
watched  with  her  at  the  bedside  of  the  children, 
and  often  walked  the  room,  saying  sadly,  "  This 
is  the  hardest  trial  of  my  life.  "Why  is  it  ? 
why  is  it  ? " 

On  the  morning  of  Willie's  funeral  the  lady 
said  to  him,  "  There  are  many  Christians  pray 
ing  for  you  this  morning,  Mr.  Lincoln."  He 
wiped  away  the  tears  from  his  eyes,  and  replied, 
"  I  am  glad  to  hear  that.  I  want  them  to  pray 
for  me.  I  need  their  prayers."  As  he  was 
going  out  to  the  burial  she  again  uttered  words 
of  sympathy.  He  thanked  her  in  a  tender 
manner,  and  replied,  "  I  will  try  to  go  to  God 
with  my  sorrows."  A  few  days  afterward  she 
asked  him  if  he  could  trust  God.  He  answered, 
"I  think  I  can,  and  I  will  try.  I  wish  I  had 


THE   FOREST   BOY.  287 

the  childlike  faith  you  speak  of,  and  I  trust  he 
will  give  it  to  me." 

In  this  moment  of  bitter  sorrow  he  remem 
bered  his  mother,  whose  death  had  caused  his 
first  great  grief,  and  spoke  of  her  with  deep 
emotion.  "  I  remember  her  prayers,"  he  said, 
"  and  they  have  always  followed  me.  They 
have  clung  to  me  all  my  life." 

After  the  funeral  of  little  Willie,  which  was 
on  Thursday,  Mr.  Lincoln  entered  upon  his 
public  duties  bowed  down  with  grief,  and 
'seeming  to  be  lost  in  its  all-absorbing  influence. 
The  following  Thursday  it  completely  over 
powered  him,  and  he  shut  himself  from  all 
society.  For  several  weeks  the  recurrence  of 
Thursday  was  the  occasion  for  throwing  off  all 
business,  and  indulgence  in  unrestrained  grief. 
His  case  became  alarming,  and  his  friends 
sought  every  possible  means  of  diverting  his 
thoughts,  and  turning  the  current  of  his  affec 
tions.  At  this  time  Dr.  Yinton,  of  Trinity 
Church,  New  York,  happened  to  be  visiting 
Washington.  Some  mutual  friends  invited 


288  THE   FOREST   BOY. 

him  to  the  White  House,  and  he  was  received 
in  the  parlor  kindly  by  Mr.  Lincoln.  The  doc 
tor,  having  entered  into  conversation  with  him, 
tenderly  chided  him  for  so  rebellions  a  spirit 
against  the  wise  appointment  of  God.  "  Why," 
he  added,  "your  son,  Mr.  Lincoln,  is  alive  in 
paradise."  Mr.  Lincoln  had  listened  as  one 
whose  mind  was  occupied  with  other  thoughts 
until  the  words  caught  his  ear,  "your  son  is 
alive."  Starting  to  his  feet  he  exclaimed, 
"  Alive  !  alive  !  Surely  you  mock  me  ! " 
"  No,  sir ;  believe  me,"  replied  Dr.  Vinton  f 
"  it  is  a  most  comforting  doctrine,  founded  upon 
the  words  of  Christ  himself." 

Mr.  Lincoln  looked  for  a  moment  inquiringly 
at  the  doctor,  and  then,  stepping  forward, 
threw  his  arms  about  his  neck,  and  pillowing 
his  head,  with  childlike  simplicity,  upon  his 
breast,  sobbed,  "  Alive !  alive  ! " 

"  My  dear  sir,"  replied  Dr.  Yinton,  twining 
his  arm  around  the  weeping  father,  "believe 
this,  for  it  is  God's  most  precious  truth." 

At  Mr.  Lincoln's  request  Dr.  Vinton   sent 


THE    FOKEST   BOY.  289 

him  a  copy  of  a  sermon  containing  a  more 
full  statement  of  the  truth  which  had  so 
much  comforted  him.  From  this  time  the 
controlling  power  of  the  President's  grief  was 
broken,  and  the  Thursday  weeping  was  dis 
continued. 


290  THE    FOREST   Boy. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE    RAINBOW    OF    PEACE. 

WE  cannot  follow  the  history  of  Mr.  Lincoln, 
nor  understand  fully  his  character,  unless  we 
glance,  at  least,  at  the  great  events  in  the 
country  with  which  he  stood  so  intimately 
connected. 

In  the  early  summer  of  1864,  in  the  midst  of 
the  war,  while  immense  armies  were  in  the 
field,  and  a  great  navy  was  afloat,  the  question, 
Who  shall  be  President  after  March  4,  1865  ? 
began  to  occupy  a  prominent  place  in  the  minds 
of  the  people.  A  convention  met  in  Baltimore 
June  8,  and  said,  It  shall  be  Abraham  Lincoln ; 
and  when  the  people  voted  in  November,  1864, 
more  than  two  millions  of  the  voters  declared  it 
should  be  Abraham  Lincoln,  giving  him  two 
hundred  and  twelve  of  the  two  hundred  and 
thirty-three  votes  in  the  electoral  college.  The 


THE  FOKEST  BOY.  291 

soldiers  sent  forth  under  the  President  to  the 
field  of  danger  and  death,  said  by  an  almost 
unanimous  vote,  Give  us  again  for  president  our 
good  friend,  Abraham  Lincoln.  A  German 
soldier  expressed  the  feelings  of  his  companions 
in  arms  when  he  declared,  in  broken  English, 
"  I  goes  for  Fader  Abraham ;  he  likes  the  sol 
dier  boy.  Yen  he  serves  tree  years  he  gives 
him  four  hundred  dollar,  and  re-enlists  him  von 
veteran.  Now,  Fader  Abraham,  he  serve  four 
years.  "We  re-enlist  him  for  four  years  more, 
and  make  von  veteran  of  him." 

Mr.  Lincoln  must,  of  course,  have  been  grati 
fied  by  his  re-election.  Not  that  he  craved 
power  and  honor,  but  the  election  was  his  loyal 
countrymen's  approval  of  his  course.  Mr.  Car 
penter,  the  painter,  to  whose  recollections  of  Mr. 
Lincoln  we  have  several  times  referred,  says  : 
"I  watched  him  closely  during  the  political 
excitement  previous  to  the  Baltimore  Conven 
tion,  to  see  if  I  could  discover  signs  of  personal 
ambition,  and  I  am  free  to  say  that,  apart  from 
the  welfare  of  the  country,  there  was  no  evi- 


292  THE   FOREST    BOY. 

dence  to  show  to  my  inind  that  he  ever  thought 
of  himself." 

When  elected,  he  did  not  show  a  spirit  of 
triumph.  He  said :  "  It  is  no  pleasure  to  me 
to  triumph  over  any  one ;  but  I  give  thanks  to 
the  Almighty  for  this  evidence  of  the  people's 
resolution  to  stand  by  free  government  and  the 
rights  of  humanity." 

His  inaugural  address  on  the  4th  of  March, 
1865,  one  of  the  last  public  acts  of  his  life, 
closes  with  the  following  precious  words ;  words 
which  will  be  admired  more  and  more  as  they 
are  repeated  on  the  successive  pages  of  history, 
and  their  true  Christian  spirit  becomes  more 
and  more  the  spirit  of  the  nations  of  the 
earth  : 

"  With  malice  toward  none,  with  charity 
for  all,  with  firmness  in  the  right,  as  God 
gives  us  to  see  the  right,  let  us  strive  on  to 
finish  the  work  we  are  in,  to  bind  up  the 
nation's  wounds,  to  care  for  him  who  hath 
borne  the  battle,  and  for  his  widow  and 
orphans,  to  do  all  which  may  achieve  and 


THE  FOKEST  BOY.  293 

cherish  just  and  lasting  peace  among  ourselves 
and  with  all  nations." 

While  the  people  were  thus  looking  after 
the  continuance  of  right  men  in  office,  the 
noble  armies  of  freedom  were  gaining  vic 
tories  on  every  side  over  the  armies  of 
slavery.  The  brave  men  under  Butler  and 
Farragut  at  New  Orleans,  and  under  Grant 
and  Porter  at  Vicksburg,  and  Banks  at  Port 
Hudson,  had  opened  the  Mississippi  to  the  Gulf, 
free  forever,  and  cut  the  Confederacy  in  twain. 
Sherman  had  marched  South  to  Atlanta,  and 
then  swept  across  the  country  eastward  until 
his  army  snuffed  the  breezes  of  the  Atlantic, 
and  caused  the  hasty  abandonment  of  Savan 
nah;  and  then,  after  a  brief  pause,  marched 
northward  toward  Richmond,  causing  the  proud 
and  long-defiant  cities  of  Charleston  and  Co 
lumbia,  with  all  the  strongholds  of  rebellion 
in  the  Carolinas,  to  yield  to  the  "stars  and 
stripes." 

"While  Sherman  thus  triumphed,  General 
Grant  was  breaking  down  the  stubborn  de- 


294  THE   FOREST  BOY. 

fenses  of  Richmond,  and  hemming   on  every 
side  the  army  of  General  Lee. 

On  the  22d  of  March  Mr.  Lincoln  reached 
City  Point,  on  the  James  Eiver.  The  rainbow 
of  peace  was  faintly  spanning  the  heavens,  and 
he  came  to  witness  for  himself  the  going  down 
of  the  last  dark  cloud  of  the  rebellion.  Until 
Monday,  April  3,  he  remained  in  his  tent  at 
City  Point.  As  battle  after  battle  was  gained 
on  well-fought  and  bloody  fields,  he  tele 
graphed  the  results  to  the  country.  The  strain 
upon  his  nervous  system  was,  of  course,  very 
great.  The  crisis  had  come  at  last ;  the  end  of 
the  long  conflict  seemed  near,  but  the  known 
uncertainty  of  war  could  not  be  banished  from 
his  mind.  The  "Union  soldiers  were  fighting 
with  a  sublime  bravery,  and  being  resisted  with 
a  stubborn  ferocity.  Would  victory  pause  now  ? 
were  there  other  lessons  of  humiliating  defeat, 
and  of  patient  waiting,  necessary  to  prepare 
the  nation  for  complete  and  final  success? 
From  the  burden  of  such  conflicting  feelings 
Mr.  Lincoln  needed  some  relief,  and  he  sought 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  295 

it  in  a  way  suited  to  Iris  circumstances  and 
peculiar  temperament. 

There  was  a  pet  cat  in  his  tent  having  a  new 
born  family.  During  the  painful  pauses  be 
tween  the  battles,  he  diverted  his  mind  by 
playing  with  them.  On  Monday  morning, 
April  3,  news  came  that  the  rebels  had  left 
Richmond,  and  that  our  forces  were  occupying 
the  city.  He  started  at  the  instant  to  go  up 
the  river,  but  turning  round  as  he  was  about  to 
leave  the  tent,  he  took  up  one  of  the  kittens, 
saying,  "  Little  kitten,  I  must  perform  a  last 
act  of  kindness  for  you  before  I  go.  I  must 
open  your  eyes."  Having  passed  his  finger 
gently  over  the  closed  lids  until  the  eyes  were 
uncovered,  he  then  put  the  kitten  upon  the 
floor,  enjoying  for  a  moment  its  surprise  at 
the  new  world  into  which  it  had  been  intro 
duced,  and  remarked  pensively :  "  O  that  I 
could  open  the  eyes  of  my  blinded  fellow- 
countrymen  as  easily  as  I  have  those  of  that 
little  creature !" 

The  Fifth  Massachusetts  Cavalry,  a  colored 


296  THE    FOREST   BOY. 

regiment,  were  the.  first  pushed  forward  to  learn 
certainly  that  the  enemy  had  fled  from  Rich 
mond.  They  dashed  at  full  speed  along  the 
road  from  the  north  side  of  the  James  River, 
where  they  had  been  watching  for  this  oppor 
tunity,  and  entered  the  almost  deserted  streets 
of  the  city.  The  foe  was  sullenly  retiring  from 
the  southern  side  at  the  same  moment,  the 
buildings  were  on  fire  in  many  places,  and 
the  fearful  havoc  of  war  was  everywhere 
apparent. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  April  3, 
Mr.  Lincoln  reached  the  city.  On  foot,  with 
no  guard  except  a  few  sailors,  who  had  rowed 
him  the  last  mile  on  the  river,  he  landed  from 
the  boat  and  passed  through  several  streets  of 
the  city.  "Tad,"  accompanying,  held  timidly 
his  father's  hand  as  he  gazed  upon  the  strange 
sights.  There  were  but  few  whites  left  in  the 
city,  and  from  them  Mr.  Lincoln  could  expect 
only  a  formal  welcome.  But  the  blacks  were 
unbounded  in  their  joy  at  his  coming.  They 
waved  their  handkerchiefs,  tossed  up  their  hats, 


THE   FOREST   BOY.  297 

and  rent  the  air  with  shouts  as  hearty  and  sin 
cere  as  were  ever  uttered.  "  Glory  to  God ! 
Glory!  Glory!  Glory!"  were  heard,  mingled 
with  the  uproar  of  patriotic  expressions.  A 
colored  woman,  standing  in  her  doorway,  ex 
claimed,  as  she  saw  the  passing  form  of  him 
who  had  doubtless  been  blessed  with  her  hum 
ble  prayers,  "I  thank  you,  dear  Jesus,  that  I 
behold  President  Linkum ! "  Another  ex 
pressed  her  wild  delight  by  jumping  up  and 
clapping  her  hands,  exclaiming,  "  Bless  de 
Lord !  Bless  de  Lord  !  Bless  de  Lord  ! " 

An  aged  negro  pressed  toward  the  President, 
and  lifting  his  hat,  while  the  tears  rolled 
down  his  face,  said,  with  a  heart  swelling  with 
emotion,  "May  de  good  Lord  bless  you,  Presi 
dent  Linkum  !  "  The  President  removed  his 
own  hat  respectfully,  and  bowed  his  acknowl 
edgement  of  the  salutation. 

After  a  brief  observation  of  the  city,  Mr.  Lin 
coln  went  back  to  City  Point.  On  the  follow 
ing  Thursday  he  returned,  accompanied  by 

Mrs.  Lincoln.     He  then  soon  hastened  away  to 
19 


298  THE    FOKEST   BOY. 

Washington.  While  he  was  absent,  Mr.  Sew- 
ard,  the  Secretary  of  State,  had  been  seriously 
injured  by  an  accident,  and  was  now  confined 
to  his  bed.  Mr.  Lincoln  went  directly  to  his 
house,  and,  after  words  of  kind  sympathy,  he 
threw  himself  across  the  bed,  and  rehearsed  the 
story  of  Grant's  wonderful  generalship,  the 
bravery  of  the  soldiers,  their  success,  Rich 
mond's  fall,  and  the  vigorous  pursuit  of  Lee 
which  was  then  going  on.  The  President's 
face  glowed  with  animated  joy  during  this 
recital,  and  as  he  closed  he  started  up,  ex 
claiming  with  intense  emotion,  "Now  for  a 
day  of  National  Thanksgiving  \ " 

Grant  pursued  Lee's  flying  and  broken  army 
with  relentless  vigor.  On  Monday,  April  10, 
the  telegram  announced  to  the  country  his  sur 
render.  The  cup  of  the  nation's  joy  seemed 
full.  The  noise  of  bells  and  cannon,  and  the 
wild  shouts  of  the  multitude,  feebly  expressed 
the  emotions  of  the  people.  There  were  thanks 
givings  in  devout  hearts  too  deep  for  utterance, 
and  praise  which  no  words  could  express.  God 


THE  FOKEST  BOY.  299 

had  triumphed  gloriously,  and  his  name  was 
exalted  in  the  land.  There  came,  too,  from 
grateful  hearts  the  exclamations,  "Abraham 
Lincoln,"  "  Our  beloved  Lincoln,"  "  Our  noble 
President."  The  rainbow  of  peace  was  span 
ning  the  heavens  of  our  Republic. 


300  THE   FOREST   BOY. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THE  DARK  CLOUD  OF  SORROW. 

THE  morning  on  which  it  was  announced  that 
Lee  had  surrendered,  a  crowd  gathered  in  front 
of  the  White  House.  They  had  brought  three 
bands  of  music ;  but  they  wished  to  hear  the 
music  of  the  President's  voice.  He  appeared  at 
the  window  above  the  main  entrance,  and  was 
greeted  with  enthusiastic  shouts.  He  was  in 
his  happiest  mood,  but  declined  making  a  formal 
speech.  He  told  them  that  he  supposed  arrange 
ments  were  being  made  for  a  general  demon 
stration  of  joy  to  take  place  in  a  day  or  two, 
and  that  he  should  be  expected  to  speak  then, 
and  added:  "I  shall  have  nothing  to  say  if  I 
dribble  it  out  before.  I  propose  now  closing  up 
by  requesting  you  to  play  a  certain  air  or  tune. 
I  have  always  thought  ( Dixie '  one  of  the  best 
tunes  I  ever  heard.  I  have  heard  that  our 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  301 

adversaries  over  the  way  have  attempted  to  ap 
propriate  it  as  a  national  air.  I  insisted  yester 
day  that  we  had  fairly  captured  it.  I  presented 
the  question  to  the  Attorney  General,  and  he 
gave  his  opinion  that  it  is  our  lawful  prize.  I 
ask  the  band  to  give  us  a  good  tune  upon  it." 

Mr.  Lincoln  remained  at  the  window  while 
"  Dixie  "  was  being  played,  and  then  proposed 
three  cheers  for  Lieutenant-General  Grant  and 
all  our  brave  soldiers;  these  being  given,  he 
called  for  three  more  for  "  our  gallant  navy  ;" 
he  then  bowed  and  retired. 

This  was  Monday,  April  10,  and  in  this 
cheerful  frame  of  mind  he  answered  all  calls 
of  duty  and  friendship  until  Friday,  the  14th. 
To  God  he  expressed,  in  public  and  private,  the 
most  devout  gratitude,  giving  him  the  honor  and 
glory  of  the  victory.  To  his  friends  he  uttered 
words  of  heartfelt  congratulations.  Toward 
the  enemies  of  his  country,  now  defeated  and  in 
his  power,  he  breathed  the  spirit  of  forgiveness 
and  conciliation ;  and  even  intimated,  in  a  pub 
lic  speech,  a  generous  plan,  already  conceived, 


302  THE   FOREST  BOY. 

to  restore  them  to  legal  and  friendly  relations 
with  the  government. 

Mrs.  Lincoln,  writing  to  Mr.  Carpenter  some 
months  after  her  husband's  death,  thus  speaks 
of  his  feelings  during  these  days  of  national  re 
joicing,  which  proved  to  be  the  last  of  his  own 
life  :  "  How  I  wish  you  could  have  been  with 
my  dear  husband  the  last  three  weeks  of  his 
life.  Having  a  realizing  sense  that  the  unnatu 
ral  rebellion  was  near  its  close,  and  being  the 
most  of  the  time  away  from  "Washington,  where 
he  had  passed  through  such  conflicts  of  mind 
during  the  last  four  years,  feeling  so  encouraged 
he  freely  gave  vent  to  his  cheerfulness.  Down 
the  Potomac  he  was  almost  boyish  in  his  mirth, 
and  reminded  me  of  his  original  nature  as  I 
remembered  him  in  our  own  home,  free  from 
care,  surrounded  by  those  he  loved.  That  ter 
rible  Friday  I  never  saw  him  so  supremely 
cheerful.  His  manner  was  even  playful.  At 
three  o'clock  he  drove  out  with  me  in  the  open 
carriage.  In  starting  I  asked  him  if  any  one 
should  accompany  us.  He  immediately  replied : 


THE    FOREST   Boy.  303; 

'No,  I  prefer  to  ride  by  ourselves  to-day.' 
During  the  drive  he  was  so  gay  that  I  said  to 
him  laughingly,  'Dear  husband,  you  almost 
startle  me  by  your  great  cheerfulness ! '  He  re 
plied,  cAnd  well  I  may  feel  so,  Mary,  for  I 
consider  this  day  the  war  has  come  to  a  close ;' 
and  then  added,  c  We  must  be  more  cheerful  in 
the  future.  Between  the  war  and  the  loss  of 
our  darling  Willie  we  have  been  very  miserable.' 
Every  word  he  then  uttered  is  deeply  engraved 
on  my  poor  broken  heart." 

On  Friday  morning  Mr.  Lincoln  sent  to  Ford's 
theater  to  engage  a  private  box  for  the  evening, 
to  hear  the  play  of  "  Our  American  Cousin." 
General  Grant  had  arrived  in  Washington  the 
previous  evening,  and  the  theater  managers  an 
nounced  in  the  papers  the  expected  attendance 
of  the  General  and  the  President.  General 
Grant  did  not  wish  to  attend,  and  so  left  the 
city ;  but  Mr.  Lincoln's  mind,  as  his  wife  states 
in  the  letter  from  which  we  have  quoted,  "  was 
fixed  upon  having  some  relaxation,"  though 
when  the  hour  came  he  was  disinclined  to  this 


304:  THE   FOKEST  BOY. 

kind  of  entertainment.  He  had,  at  long  inter 
vals,  visited  the  theater  to  relieve  an  overbur 
dened  brain.  Since  his  conversion  on  the  bat 
tle-field  of  Gettysburg,  light  concerning  the  sin- 
fulness  of  theatrical  amusements  had  come  to 
him  but  slowly,  as  it  did  to  Christians  fifty  years 
ago  in  reference  to  drinking  ardent  spirits  ;  so, 
with  tearful  regrets,  we  must  follow  our  beloved 
President  to  his  dying  chamber,  through  the 
theater.  We  feel  sure  that  if  he  had  lived  un 
der  surrounding  influences  of  less  constraining 
power,  or  lived  to  greater  maturity  of  religious 
experience,  he  would  have  sought  relaxation  in 
some  way  clearly  consistent  with  his  love  for 
Jesus. 

The  presidential  carriage,  containing,  besides 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lincoln,  their  friends,  Major 
Rathbone  and  Miss  Harris,  arrived  at  the  the 
ater  about  nine  o'clock.  When  the  party  entered 
the  box  the  President  was  greeted  by  the  audi 
ence  with  prolonged  cheers.  He  bowed  his 
acknowledgements,  and  was  soon  quietly  Qbserv- 
ing  the  transactions  upon  the  stage. 


THE    FOREST    BOY.  305 

While  Mr.  Lincoln  was  thus  engaged,  John 
Wilkes  Booth,  a  stage-player,  and  the  son  of  a 
stage-player,  entered  the  theater.  He  gradually 
pushed  his  way  through  the  crowd  in  the  gal 
lery  in  the  rear  of  the  dress-circle  to  the  door  of 
a  narrow  passage.  Deceiving  the  servant  who 
stood  at  the  entrance,  by  showing  a  card  and 
saying  that  the  President  had  sent  for  him,  he 
walked  in,  closed  and  barred  the  door.  From 
this  passage  two  doors  opened  into  Mr.  Lincoln's 
box.  Stepping  lightly  to  the  further  door,  which 
stood  ajar,  he  shut  and  fastened  ^it.  He  then 
went  back  and  took  a  hasty  glance  through  a 
hole  which  had  been  previously  bored  for  the 
purpose  in  the  first  door,  and  learned  the  posi 
tion  of  the  persons  within.  Mr.  Lincoln  was 
nearest  the  assassin  and  only  about  four  feet 
from  him,  sitting  so  as  to  expose  to  his  view  the 
back  and  left  side  of  his  head.  Booth  thrust 
his  arm  into  the  entrance,  leveled  his  pistol,  and 
fired.  The  ball  entered  the  brain  of  the  Presi 
dent,  who,  dropping  his  head  on  his  breast,  and 
falling  slightly  forward,  remained  perfectly  still. 


306  THE   FOREST  BOY. 

Booth  rushed  into  the  midst  of  the  amazed 
company  and  shouted  "  Freedom."  Major 
Rathbone,  in  attempting  to  seize  him,  received 
a  deep  wound  upon  the  arm  from  a  dagger. 
The  assassin  then  dashed  over  the  front  of  the 
box,  down  twelve  feet  upon  the  stage.  As  he 
fell  his  spurs  became  entangled  in  the  folds  of 
an  American  flag,  and  brought  him  suddenly 
to  the  floor  with  a  fractured  leg.  Springing  to 
his  feet,  he  flourished  his  dagger,  and  in  a  the 
atrical  tone  uttered  the  insulting  cry,  "  Sic  sem 
per  tyrannisjl  adding,  "  The  South  is  avenged." 
In  the  confusion  he  fled  across  the  stage  and 
through  the  windings  in  the  rear  of  the  theater, 
mounted  a  fleet  horse  in  waiting,  and  hastened 
away.  He  forgot  that  if  he  "  should  take  the 
wings  of  the  morning  and  dwell  in  the  utter 
most  parts  of  the  sea,"  and  if  he  should  say 
"  Surely  the  darkness  shall  cover  me,"  that 
there  was  One  to  whom  "the  night  shineth 
as  the  day,"  whose  hand  should  lead  him, 
and  whose  right  hand  should  hold  him.  In  a 
few  days  he  was  pursued  by  the  officers  of 


THE   FOREST  BOY.  307 

justice,  and,  in  his  attempt  to  resist  them,  shot 
dead! 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  tenderly  carried  to  a  house 
opposite  the  theater,  but  he  had  no  conscious 
ness,  uttered  no  word,  and  felt  no  pain.  He 
gradually  sunk  into  the  arms  of  death,  and  ex 
pired  the  next  morning  at  twenty-two  minutes 
past  seven.  He  was  surrounded  by  the  great 
men  of  the  nation,  who  bowed  in  grief  and 
wept  like  children.  Mrs.  Lincoln  lay  in  an  ad 
joining  room,  supported  in  her  agony  by  her 
oldest  son  and  other  friends. 

"While  these  dreadful  scenes  were  passing  at 
the  theater,  a  ruffian  by  the  name  of  Lewis 
Payne  Powell,  in  league  with  Booth  and  others, 
forced  his  way  into  the  sick  chamber  of  Mr. 
Seward,  the  Secretary  of  State,  mounted  his 
bed  and  stabbed  him  three  times  with  a  dagger. 
He  would  no  doubt  have  killed  him,  but  a  sol 
dier  by  the  name  of  Robinson,  who  was  acting 
as  nurse  to  Mr.  Seward,  seized  the  murderer 
around  the  body  while  his  intended  victim 
rolled  himself  off  the  bed.  Powell  rushed  down 


308  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

stairs  and  out  of  the  house,  having  in  entering 
and  returning  stabbed  five  persons,  and  knocked 
down  and  stunned  with  the  butt  of  a  pistol 
one  of  Mr.  Se ward's  sons.  Powell  was  after 
ward  arrested,  tried  and  hanged,  as  were  three 
others  who  aided  in  the  plot,  one  of  them  a 
woman. 

Mr.  Seward  finally  recovered,  but  for  a  long 
time  lay  in  a  critical  situation.  His  physician 
had  kept  from  him  all  knowledge  of  what  had 
happened  at  the  theater.  A  few  days  after,  he 
had  his  bed  wheeled  round  so  that  he  could  see 
the  tops  of  the  trees  in  the  park  opposite.  His 
eye  instantly  caught  the  stars  and  stripes  at 
half  mast  on  the  War  Department.  He  gazed 
in  silence  and  sadness  for  a  moment,  and  then, 
turning  to  an  attendant,  said,  "  The  President 
is  dead ! "  The  attendant  was  confused  and 
silent,  while  the  Secretary  added  :  "  If  he  had 
been  alive  he  would  have  been  the  first  to  call 
on  me ;  but  he  has  not  been  here,  nor  has  he 
sent  to  know  how  I  am,  and  there's  the  flag  at 
half  mast."  He  then  gazed  again  in  silence  at 


THE   FOKEST   BOY.  309 

the  flag,  while  the  tears  flowed  freely  down  his 
gashed  cheeks. 

The  body  of  the  President  was  carried,  a  few 
hours  after  his  death,  to  a  room  in  the  White 
House,  where  it  was  embalmed.  On  Tuesday 
the  doors  were  opened  to  the  public,  and  it  is 
believed  twenty-five  thousand  persons  went  in  to 
view  the  face  so  familiar  to  them  once,  and  now 
so  pale  in  death.  The  rich  and  the  poor  came, 
the  white  and  the  black,  dropping  their  tears 
together  upon  his  coffin.  Hundreds,  as  they 
pressed  past,  casting  a  hasty  glance  at  the  face 
so  often  lighted  up  with  expressions  of  com 
passion  for  the  oppressed,  uttered  a  word  or  a 
sentence  of  deep-felt  affection. 

"Wednesday  was  the  day  of  the  funeral. 
There  was  first  service  in  the  east  room  of  the 
executive  mansion,  and  then  the  remains  were 
removed  to  the  rotunda  of  the  Capitol.  It  was 
followed  by  a  long  procession,  and  witnessed  by 
a  vast  multitude  of  people.  Numerous  martial 
bands  sent  forth  their  tender  strains  of  music. 
The  minute  guns  of  the  adjacent  forts  joined  in 


310  THE    FOKEST    Boy. 

deep-toned  unison.     The  country's  flag,  at  half 
mast,  drooped  in  pensive  sadness. 

At  the  same  hour  of  the  service  at  the 
rotunda,  the  churches  all  over  the  loyal  states 
were  opened  for  religious  worship.  The  dra 
pery  of  mourning  was  everywhere  displayed, 
and  sorrow  was  depicted  on  every  face. 


THE   FOREST   BOY.  311 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE    BUEIAL  —  BENEDICTIONS  —  FAREWELL. 

AFTER  the  funeral  service  at  Washington,  the 
remains  of  the  President  were  borne  toward 
their  western  resting-place.  Accompanied  by 
the  dust  of  his  "  darling  Willie,"  they  started  on 
their  long  journey  on  the  21st  of  April.  When 
the  train  arrived  at  Baltimore,  where,  four  years 
before,  the  living  President  barely  escaped  the 
hand  of  violence,  a  great  multitude  were  moved 
to  affectionate  demonstrations  of  grief  at  the 
sight  of  his  bier  and  cold  clay.  At  Harrisburgh 
the  remains  were  exposed  to  view  in  the  state 
capitol,  and  for  many  hours  were  surrounded 
by  the  weeping  people. 

When  the  approach  of  the  funeral  train  to 
Philadelphia  was  announced,  the  whole  city  was 
moved  at  its  coming.  A  new  hearse  had  been 
prepared  to  receive  the  body,  drawn  by  eight 


312  THE  FOREST   BOY. 

black  horses  in  silver-mounted  harness.  It  was 
carried  to  Independence  Hall,  where  it  lay  from 
Saturday  evening  until  Monday  morning.  Dur 
ing  nearly  every  hour  of  this  time  it  was  visited 
by  the  people.  Individuals  falling  into  the 
human  current,  which  constantly  poured  through 
the  hall,  were  borne  slowly  along  for  four  or  five 
hours  before  their  eyes  rested  upon  the  pale  face 
of  him  for  whom  they  grieved.  They  left  be 
hind  them  tears  and  flowers,  the  tokens  of  their 
pity  and  love. 

When  the  remains  reached  the  city  of  New 
York,  its  mighty  din  of  business  was  at  once 
hushed.  The  tolling  of  bells  and  minute  guns 
faintly  expressed  the  sorrow  of  its  people.  Im 
mense  throngs  were  in  the  streets  to  testify  in 
person  their  interest  in  the  mournful  occasion. 
Thousands  patiently  endured  the  pressure  of  the 
long,  densely  packed  line,  which  moved  slowly, 
hour  after  hour,  toward  the  City  Hall,  where  the 
corpse  lay  in  state.  The  high  in  office,  name, 
and  influence,  united  with  the  humble  poor  in 
following  its  departure  from  the  city,  and  fifteen 


THE   FOREST  BOY.  313 

thousand  citizen  soldiers  escorted  the  solemn 
procession. 

At  Albany  and  Buffalo,  and  through  the  long 
railroad  route  between  those  cities,  the  people's 
mourning  was  repeated.  A  reporter  who  fol 
lowed  the  train  wrote:  "A.  funeral  in  each 
house  in  Central  New  York  would  hardly  have 
added  solemnity  to  the  day."  As  the  honored 
dead  passed  on  every  city  had  its  tribute  of 
sorrow.  At  Chicago  the  mourning  began  to 
be  still  more  like  the  mourning  of  a  house 
hold  over  its  fallen  head.  The  whole  state  of 
Illinois  had  in  days  past  yielded  to  the  political 
moulding  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  wonderful  influence, 
and  now  its  heart  -  throbbed  with  the  universal 
sorrow. 

When  the  remains  had  arrived  at  Springfield, 
and  were  deposited  in  the  State-house,  they 
seemed  to  have  returned  to  a  part  of  his  own 
family  from  which  he  had  been  long  separated. 
Many  of  his  early  and  endeared  friends  there 
had  not  seen  him  since  he  requested  their  pray 
ers,  and  waved  them  an  affectionate  adieu  from 
20 


:-  THE  FOBEST  BOY. 

the  platform  of  the  ears  which  bore  him  toward 
tke  White  House, 

The  nation's  honored  dad  reached  its  final 
resting-place  May  4.  It  is_a  beautiful  spot  at 
Oak  Ridge  Cemetery,  about  two  miles  from 
Springfield.  The  dust  of  "  Little  VViltie," 
who  was  so  much  loved  in  life,  and  incon- 
solably  mourned  in  death.  was  laid  beside  his 
fathers.  .A.  prayer  was  offered,  a  hymn  snmr. 
a  portion  of  the  Scriptures  read,  an  eloquent 
eologT  delivered  by  Bishop  Simpson,  the 
benediction  pronounced,  and  the  multitude 
iiM4tMi  Ekmiy  away,  leaving  the  dead  in  sol- 

"^bile  tine  the  whole  nation  was  bowed  with 


whom  Mr.  Lincoln  had  delivered  from  slavery. 
^  We  hare  lost  cwr  Preadent,r  was  the  uni- 
versal  fepiing.  The  following  statements  and 
mrident,  given  by  a  correspondent  of  the  Xe  w 
Yoii  Tribune,  writing  from  Charleston.  Sonth 
Carolina,  iHiistrateE  this  fact  :  f;  I  never  saw 
caeh  ead  ikoeE  nor  heard  saeh  heary  heart-beat- 


THE   FOBZ5T   BOY. 

ings  as  here  in  Charleston  the  day  the  dre^if-il 
news   came.     The  colored  people,   the  native 

"  .  ".".».  —  -.-:-  "  '•:-.     _  .  lr-r    --.-.--'.  .:    .:_ 

•  * 

and  beloved  parent.     I   saw  one   old  woman 

.:-_•   Y.~     ~--.    -~.i--~.   ~  r_  :'._•.:__•    „-:    Li~  1- 
saying  aloud  as  she  walked,  leaking  straight 
t-efore  her.  so  absorbed  in   her  grief  that  sle 
noticed  no  one : 

- ;  O  Lord !  O  L.:.nl !  O  L*rd  \  Massa  Sam's 
dead!  Mass^  Sam's  dea«i !  O  L:-rd!  Masa 
Sam's  dead !  * 

•• ;  "WTio's  Massa  Sam  f "  I  asked. 

"•Uncle  Sam,*  she  said:  -QLord!  OLofd!' 

"  I  was  not  quite  sure  she  meant  the  Presi 
dent,  and  said  again : 

"  •  Who's  Mas^i  Si=i.  A^rv  ! ' 

"  •  Mr.  LinVam.?  she  answered,  and  resume»I 
wringing  her  hands,  and  moaning  in  utter 
hopelessness  and  sorrow.  The  poor  creature 
was  too  ignorant  to  comprehend  the  dif5?reiic-e 
between  the  very  unreal  Uncle  Sam  and  the 
actual  President;  but  her  heart  told  that  he 
whom  heaven  had  sent  in  answer  to  her  prayers 


316  THE  FOREST  Boy. 

was  lying  in  a  bloody  grave,  and  she  and  her 
race  were  left— fatherless." 

The  news  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  death  carried  sor 
row  wherever  it  was  published. 

A  distinguished  minister  of  Montreal  says  in 
a  memorial  sermon :  "  On  Wednesday  last  a 
funeral  took  place  in  Washington  which  closed 
the  law  courts,  banks,  and  places  of  business  in 
this  chief  city  of  British  America  ;  invested  our 
streets  with  subdued  silence ;  called  out  visible 
tokens  of  mourning;  and  opened  halls  and 
churches,  where  words  of  sorrow  and  sympathy 
might  find  utterance.  All  this  was  sponta 
neous.  It  was  the  spontaneous  tribute  of  re 
spect  to  the  memory  of  the  late  President  of 
the  United  States." 

When  the  news  of  the  assassination  reached 
England,  the  excitement,  the  indignation  and 
sorrow,  were  intense.  A  prominent  paper  de 
clared  that  the  people  in  the  streets  of  London 
would  have  treated  Booth  as  roughly,  had  he 
been  in  their  power,  as  any  in  New  York 
or  Washington.  The  London  "  Times "  and 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  317 

"  Punch,"  which  had  wounded  Mr.  Lincoln 
when  wounds  were  the  most  keenly  painful, 
hastened  to  lay  a  wreath  upon  his  coffin.  Pub 
lic  demonstrations  of  sorrow  were  attended  by 
immense  multitudes.  The  Parliament  signed 
an  address  of  condolence,  and  presented  it  to 
the  American  minister.  The  Queen  wrote  a 
letter  to  Mrs.  Lincoln  with  her  own  hand,  in 
which  her  sorrow  and  sympathy  were  ex 
pressed. 

The  startling  tidings  were  received  in  Paris 
with  universal  and  deep  grief.  The  emperor 
sent  an  officer  of  his  household  to  the  American 
minister  with  assurance  of  his  sympathy.  Prot 
estant  religious  bodies,  popular  assemblies,  and 
literary  associations,  passed  earnest  resolutions 
in  reference  to  the  sad  event.  Two  thousand 
young  men  of  the  Latin  quarter  of  Paris  at 
tempted  to  go  in  a  body  to  the  United  States 
legation,  to  utter,  through  a  chosen  spokesman, 
words  of  tenderness  for  the  noble  dead;  but 
they  were  hindered  by  the  jealous  police,  and 
only  a  few  reached  it  to  deliver  the  message. 


318  THE  FOREST   BOY. 

A  few  hours  after  the  sad  news  was  pub 
lished  in  Paris,  its  Sunday-schools  were  holding 
a  general  meeting  in  a  capacious  circus  build 
ing  having  seats  for  four  thousand  persons,  all 
of  which  were  filled.  The  chairman  rose  and 
said :  "  My  children,  I  had  prepared  a  little 
speech  for  you,  but  a  horrible  fact  has  just  been 
related  to  me.  The  President  of  the  United 
States  is  dead.  Abraham  Lincoln  has  been 
assassinated  ! "  He  then  sat  down,  too  full  of 
emotion  to  say  more.  Several  of  the  ladies 
burst  into  tears.  An  American  gentleman 
whispered  to  one  of  them,  and  inquired  if  she 
was  an  American  lady.  She  replied,  "  No,  I 
am  French;  but  I  have  followed  Mr.  Lin 
coln's  course  from  the  beginning  of  the  war, 
and  feel  as  if  his  death  were  a  personal  af 
fliction." 

As  the  telegrams  announced  throughout 
Europe  the  dreadful  deed,  governments  and 
people  paused,  and  uttered  words  of  amaze 
ment  and  lamentation.  A  recent  traveler  says 
that  even  Palestine,  and  more  distant  parts  of 


THE  FOREST  BOY.  319 

Asia,  heard  the  name  of  Lincoln,  and  lamented 
his  fall.  The  islands  of  the  ocean,  too,  caught 
the  flying  sorrow.  At  the  Sandwich  Islands 
memorial  sermons  were  preached,  and  churches 
were  draped.  The  mourning  of  America  be 
came  the  mourning  of  the  world.  And  this 
was  right,  for  Abraham  Lincoln  lived  and 
died  to  promote  the  freedom  of  universal 
humanity. 

The  story  of  our  beloved  Lincoln  carries  with 
it  its  own  instructive  lesson,  and  enforces  it  too. 
From  the  log-cabin  to  the  White  House,  it  is 
a  story  of  truthfulness,  temperance,  love, 
unselfish  labor,  and  large-hearted  benevolence. 
Abraham  the  boy  learned  from  his  mother's 
lips  to  fear  God  and  reverence  the  Bible,  and 
he  never  departed  from  her  instruction. 

Abraham  Lincoln,  the  man,  never  tired  of 
labor,  reading,  and  thought.  But  he  read  but 
little  and  thought  much.  Mr.  Herndon,  for 
twenty  years  his  law  partner,  says,  "  He  read 
less  and  thought  more  than  any  man  of  his 
standing  in  America,  if  not  in  the  world." 


320  THE  FOREST  BOY. 

Abraham  Lincoln,  the  politician,  despised 
trickery.  At  the  threshold  of  high  position, 
honor,  and  power,  he  was  willing  to  lose 
all  rather  than  give  a  bribe  to  those  who 
claimed  to  keep  the  door.  When  challenged 
he  paused,  and  indignantly  exclaimed :  "  I 
authorize  no  bargains,  and  will  be  bound  by 
none." 

As  President  he  exercised  more  than  a  mon 
arch's  power  with  wisdom  and  purity.  When 
he  unconsciously  approached  the  time  of  his 
instant  death,  he  had  an  increasing  assurance 
that  he  loved  Jesus. 

Cordially  we  unite  with  the  eloquent  Bishop 
Simpson,  and  say : 

"  Chieftain,  farewell !  The  nation  mourns 
thee.  Mothers  shall  teach  thy  name  to  their 
lisping  children.  The  youth  of  our  land  shall 
emulate  thy  virtues.  Statesmen  shall  study  thy 
record,  and  learn  lessons  of  wisdom.  Mute 
though  thy  lips  be,  yet  they  still  speak. 
Hushed  is  thy  voice,  but  its  echoes  of  liberty 
are  ringing  through  the  world,  and  the  sons  of 


THE   FOKEST   BOY.  321 

bondage  listen  with  joy.  Prisoned  thou  art  in 
death,  and  yet  thou  art  inarching  abroad,  and 
chains  and  manacles  are  bursting  at  thy  touch. 
Thou  didst  fall  not  for  thyself.  The  assassin 
had  no  hate  for  thee.  Our  hearts  were  aimed 
at,  our  national  life  was  sought.  We  crown 
thee  as  our  martyr,  and  humanity  enthrones 
thee  as  her  triumphant  son.  Hero,  Martyr, 
Friend,  farewell !  " 


THE  END. 


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